delay
Americanverb (used with object)
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delays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
delayed,
past participle, past
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delaying
present participle
verb (used without object)
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delays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
delayed,
past participle, past
-
delaying
present participle
noun
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delays
plural
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the act of delaying; procrastination.
- Synonyms:
- loitering
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an instance of being delayed.
There were many delays during the train trip.
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the period or amount of time during which something is delayed.
The ballet performance began after a half-hour delay.
verb
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(tr) to put off to a later time; defer
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(tr) to slow up, hinder, or cause to be late; detain
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(intr) to be irresolute or put off doing something; procrastinate
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(intr) to linger; dawdle
noun
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the act or an instance of delaying or being delayed
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the interval between one event and another; lull; interlude
Usage
What does delay mean? As a verb, delay means to put something off or postpone it until later, or to cause something to take longer or to be late. As a noun, delay means an instance of something being postponed till later, or the amount of time between when something was supposed to happen and when it does happen (the lull or interlude). Example: The convention has not been canceled—it has been delayed until we can find a proper venue.
Synonym Usage
See defer 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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delayernoun
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predelaynoun
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delayableadjective
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undelayableadjective
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undelayingadjective
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delayinglyadverb
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undelayinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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delaysimple
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delayssimple
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have delayedperfect
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has delayedperfect
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am delayingprogressive
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are delayingprogressive
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is delayingprogressive
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have been delayingperfect progressive
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has been delayingperfect progressive
Past
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delayedsimple
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had delayedperfect
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was delayingprogressive
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were delayingprogressive
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had been delayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of delay
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English delaien (verb), delai(e) (noun), from Old French delaier (verb), delai (noun)
Explanation
A delay is a wait or a postponement. An unexpected delay before the start of a play might make the audience restless and noisy. During a delay, you have to wait around for things to begin. Delay is also a verb: "That burnt pizza is going to delay dinner for at least another hour." You can also delay by loitering or hanging around: "The performer always delays when he's nervous about singing in front of a crowd." Delay comes from the Old French delaiier, from the roots de-, "not," and laier, "leave."
Vocabulary lists containing delay
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 3
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 2
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"Building Design and Construction Handbook," Vocabulary from Section 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Altman even suggested OpenAI may delay its IPO to focus on safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
But waiting for this can delay treatment by days or even weeks.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The type she is looking at has the ability to delay the start of the monthly checks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Those two timelines leave no room for delay.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Sancho, on Don Quixote's orders, gave the driver and the lion keeper a little money to make up for the delay.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
But experts said ProPublica’s data analysis, along with stories about delays in ectopic care, underscores the need to find out what is driving the deaths.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
France remained the worst offender for delays caused by air traffic control management problems, accounting for 32 percent of all delays on its own.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
That 850 megawatts of data coming online pushes back at fears data-center project delays could impact near-term revenue recognition, they said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
SB Energy’s offering features $430 billion in data-center deals, no operating sites and a clause giving OpenAI free rent for delays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
I chafed at the delays, but held my peace, trusting that if I showed myself to be responsible and meticulously careful, he would eventually relax and things would return to normal.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Nissan introduced the third generation of its Leaf EV this year but has indefinitely delayed the import of the vehicle’s most affordable variant from Japan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
If the pregnancy is ectopic, the risk of rupture increases the longer treatment is delayed.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
It was supposed to be up and running in 2025, but has been delayed until 2030.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The AlloESO-T cells slowed tumor growth and delayed the cancer's return, while the conventionally engineered comparison cells provided only temporary control.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Though traffic delayed his arrival by an hour, the hospital staff and doctors greeted him without being annoyed.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Natural-gas turbines can face multiyear delivery backlogs, delaying new gas-fired power plants.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Sean McVay and the Rams are adopting a different approach from the San Francisco 49ers by delaying travel to Melbourne, Australia, for their season opener.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Yet France’s size and deep integration into the European economy—and particularly the euro currency—allow Paris to keep delaying its moment of reckoning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
In Sudan, El Nino is blamed for delaying crucial rains that have led water levels in the Nile to drop precipitously.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
The high oceanic temperatures will release more water vapor into the air, increasing cloudiness, shielding the Earth from sunlight and delaying the end a little.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
