delay 1 of 2

noun

di-ˈlā How to pronounce delay (audio)
Definition of delaynext
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

delay

2 of 2

verb

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word delay different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of delay are dally, dawdle, lag, loiter, and procrastinate. While all these words mean "to move or act slowly so as to fall behind," delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).

we cannot delay any longer

Where would dally be a reasonable alternative to delay?

The words dally and delay can be used in similar contexts, but dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

When can lag be used instead of delay?

In some situations, the words lag and delay are roughly equivalent. However, lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

How do loiter and dawdle relate to one another, in the sense of delay?

Both loiter and dawdle imply delay while in progress, especially in walking, but dawdle more clearly suggests an aimless wasting of time.

loitered at several store windows
children dawdling on their way home from school

When is procrastinate a more appropriate choice than delay?

The synonyms procrastinate and delay are sometimes interchangeable, but procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

procrastinates about making decisions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of delay
Noun
In a filing on Friday, Lively’s team opposed extending the deposition deadline to accommodate a deposition of Swift, questioning the relevance of her testimony and accusing Baldoni’s lawyers of causing unnecessary delay. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025 Advertisement For the next several years, activists knocked on the doors of sharecroppers and drove folks to county registrars’ offices, often facing denials or delays, arrests, and violence. —Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Trump has similarly delayed the implementation of his whopping new tariffs on China multiple times since April, instead settling on an effective rate of 40% while Washington and Beijing pursue a bilateral trade agreement. —Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025 Councilwoman Paula McCraney proposed an amendment that would have delayed the onset of the law until the licensure process was in place. —Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for delay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delay
  1. wait
  2. linger
  3. postpone
  4. drag
  5. defer
  6. crawl
  7. poke
  8. lag
Noun
  • This agreement removes that barrier to equal access for passengers with disabilities and provides a mechanism to compensate those harmed by Uber's past wait time fee policy.
    — Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Still, Sigourney Weaver's killer heels are worth the wait.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Definition of wait
Verb
  • Yet Harris lingers near the top of the 2028 Democratic presidential contenders in most polling because the party lacks viable alternatives with comparable name identification.
    — W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • This effortless touchpoint builds trust, catches lingering issues and creates loyal advocates who feel truly valued.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of linger
Verb
  • If the high court agrees to review the case, any potential retrial could be postponed indefinitely.
    — Adeola Adeosun Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The question of whether to postpone or proceed with matches has been an increasingly fraught issue this season, and is not limited to medical emergencies involving individual players.
    — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Definition of postpone
Verb
  • This is not about dragging NATO into war.
    — David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • After being struck from behind, he was dragged to the ground and mauled him, with other lions joined in, per Khaosod English.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of drag
Verb
  • Wisconsin joins 14 other states, including Minnesota and Illinois, in creating a vaccine protocol that does not defer solely to federal health officials.
    — Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Buffett’s buy-and-hold approach not only compounds wealth but also defers taxes, allowing more capital to keep working year after year.
    — Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Definition of defer
Verb
  • And to get there, visitors will have to make their way through scare zones brimming with crawling monsters and roaring chainsaws.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Insects crawled through clinical areas, and staff food was stored alongside medical supplies.
    — Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of crawl
Verb
  • Keep communication open by avoiding poking fun at these practices.
    — Ashleigh N. DeLuca, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Gibson proceeded to the Children’s Chorus room, where two staffers welcomed her to poke through the costume racks.
    — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Definition of poke
Verb
  • The show was a hit with older viewers but lagged with the young adult demos that networks were obsessed with at the time.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Thus, water temperatures in the ocean lag the air temperatures.
    — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of lag

Browse Nearby Words

dekes
delay
delayed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Delay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delay. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on delay

Nglish: Translation of delay for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

A Guide to Using Semicolons

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Color Words to Describe Autumn Leaves

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

12 Words Whose History Will Surprise You
See More

Popular

See More

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Color Words to Describe Autumn Leaves
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
high school student holding a pencil leaning over a sat test
Challenging Standardized Test Words 20 questions to help you score 1600
See All