as in wait
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
there was a delay for our boarding while the airplane unloaded incoming passengers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to linger
to move or act slowly
she ordered the kids to stop delaying and to get to bed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to postpone
to assign to a later time
our guests delayed their departure until after dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of delay
Joel Rose, NPR, 6 June 2025
Its chief competitor, United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has struggled to keep up, with multiyear delays in developing its new Vulcan rocket.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Katie Langford, Denver Post, 6 June 2025
Or in Michael Conforto’s case, delayed contributions.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for delay
Noun
The fragile state of the system became glaringly obvious during the recent radar and communication outages that led to hundreds of delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 6 June 2025
Its chief competitor, United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has struggled to keep up, with multiyear delays in developing its new Vulcan rocket.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Verb
Nearly 1,000 flights were delayed or canceled at Denver International Airport on Friday afternoon as severe thunderstorms brought the threat of large hail, tornadoes and high winds to the Front Range and Eastern Plains.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 6 June 2025
Or in Michael Conforto’s case, delayed contributions.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for delay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delay
Noun
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Then Johnson tapped in Pape Sarr’s cross for the only goal in the Europa League final, ending Tottenham Hotspur’s 41-year wait for European silverware.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
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Both events offer live entertainment, themed food, and access to select park attractions with generally shorter wait times than during the day How scary is Universal Halloween Horror Nights?—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Verb
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This dust could collide with any lingering smoke in the South this week, potentially causing unhealthy air quality and a hazy, duller sky during the day, bracketed by colorful sunrises and sunsets.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
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The finish is long and sweet, with lingering notes of peat smoke, honey, vanilla, and a hint of oak spice.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
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After a short discussion between the clubs and Major League Baseball, the game was postponed.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2025
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The Division 1 softball game between Poway and Ayala was postponed because of rain.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Over the Great Plains, the high-level flow of winds has been pushing the smoke south, and shifting upper-level winds from the west will drag the smoke over the eastern states, according to The Weather Channel.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
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The phone call between Trump and Putin came as the war, which has dragged on for nearly 3.5 years, shows no signs of abating despite mounting pressure for a diplomatic breakthrough.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Some lawmakers want to defer capital gains taxes for mutual fund investors The average 401(k) savings rate hit a record high.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
7 June 2025
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Ronaldo, 39, played for the Italian club between 2018 and 2021 with the back payment related to his agreement with Juventus to defer part of his wages during the Covid pandemic.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
Verb
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The men allegedly crawled out of the hole to a loading dock, scaled an exterior concrete wall of the jail complex and darted across a freeway to freedom.—
Kati Weis,
CBS News,
29 May 2025
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The Zenbook crawled to the finish line in every test.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2025
Verb
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That victory put O’Malley back in the rankings. O’Malley’s next bout ended in a no contest, when an eye poke in the second round left Pedro Munhoz unable to continue.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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Senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev poked fun at the explosive war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, offering to mediate peace between the two political allies.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Verb
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With Apple shares deeply lagging the broader market this year (down 17% vs. the Nasdaq’s 1.5% gain), WWDC could be a turning point for sentiment.—
Catherine Baab,
Quartz,
8 June 2025
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Big-screen gamers can look forward to a 240-Hz refresh rate (when the resolution is bumped down to Full HD), an auto latency mode that can get input lag down to 12 milliseconds, and motion compensation technology.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Delay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delay. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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