delay
Americanverb (used with object)
-
delays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
delayed,
past participle, past
-
delaying
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
delays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
delayed,
past participle, past
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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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Unit 5
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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:
He said: "We just want to get stuck into supporting people to help people off benefits and into work. There's no delay there. We want that to happen as quickly as possible."
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Others might delay their benefits, which gives them an additional 8% in payments for every year they delay between their FRA of 67 and 70.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Ahead of SpaceX’s June offering, she urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to delay the rocket maker’s IPO, citing its high valuation, corporate governance structure and recent index rule changes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
True to form, your rover will also experience a time delay, just not quite as long.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Hannah will tell us what to do, and we’ll have everything nice when you come home,” added Beth, getting out her mop and dish tub without delay.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
In Spain, delays on the high-speed network have become longer and more common.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Responding, Lam set out how the reorganisation had been beset by delays over the past two-and-a-half years.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
In his letter, the pensions minister said people who had already been impacted by avoidable delays and been taxed as a result could seek compensation through the pension scheme's complaints process and the Pensions Ombudsman.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
While supportive of high-speed rail, Becerra is concerned by the project’s delays and cost overruns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Even if everything miraculously snapped back to place, there’d be long delays, the same as when it snowed and flights got backed up.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Vanderbilt starred in his bench role in his delayed season debut Wednesday in the Lakers’ 103-87 win over the Clippers at Intuit Dome.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
When their flight is delayed, and then delayed again, frustration shifts from the departure boards to the fault lines between them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Health and language issues have delayed his Mexican asylum process.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Supply chain disruptions delayed boot shipments last fall, leaving shelves low on stock during peak demand, Toal said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
“They had to de-ice three planes. Ugh, that delayed everything. I’m sorry I’m so late.”
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
Becerra would be open to revising or delaying the goals to prioritize affordability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Meantime, Gov. Kathy Hochul has tried to head off a backlash over New York’s soaring electric bills by delaying her state’s CO2 emissions mandates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Promoter Frank Warren is working towards staging Hrgovic's first defence in Croatia early next year, potentially delaying a reunion with Dubois.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Rocket Lab once again is delaying the maiden launch of its Neutron rocket, dealing a major blow to investors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Several witnesses were indicted and convicted, but prosecutors decided not to charge Springer, because he would demand delaying the second trial of Hale and Ramsey until his own case was resolved.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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