1
as in lingering
to move or act slowly
she ordered the kids to stop delaying and to get to bed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in postponing
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 delaying
If there are no seats, there’ll be no place to put sick passengers and the train will have to stay in the station, delaying the system.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026
From stunting and weakening plant growth to delaying flower production, these 1/10th-inch-long pests can wreak havoc.
—Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 12 June 2026
The Vance family makes things work by delaying future costs, such as buying a larger home.
—Andrea Steffes-Tuttle, Denver Post, 12 June 2026
While delaying care may seem like a practical way to manage vet costs in the short term, putting off treatment can sometimes create larger financial and medical challenges in the future.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 11 June 2026
According to the letter, Paramasivam was denied permission to leave early and forced to finish her shift, delaying treatment that might have saved her life.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
Many of them had just come home from the war and were reunited with honeys who had been waiting, hoping, delaying.
—Joe Klein, Washington Post, 11 June 2026
If the game runs longer than usual, the postgame show will be shorter, because WPLG doesn’t want to make a habit of delaying its late newscast.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
Hilton proposes to reform the California Environmental Quality Act so that only government prosecutors can sue, preventing private individuals and organizations from stopping or delaying new housing projects.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026
From stunting and weakening plant growth to delaying flower production, these 1/10th-inch-long pests can wreak havoc.
—Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 12 June 2026
The Vance family makes things work by delaying future costs, such as buying a larger home.
—Andrea Steffes-Tuttle, Denver Post, 12 June 2026
While delaying care may seem like a practical way to manage vet costs in the short term, putting off treatment can sometimes create larger financial and medical challenges in the future.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 11 June 2026
According to the letter, Paramasivam was denied permission to leave early and forced to finish her shift, delaying treatment that might have saved her life.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
Many of them had just come home from the war and were reunited with honeys who had been waiting, hoping, delaying.
—Joe Klein, Washington Post, 11 June 2026
If the game runs longer than usual, the postgame show will be shorter, because WPLG doesn’t want to make a habit of delaying its late newscast.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
Hilton proposes to reform the California Environmental Quality Act so that only government prosecutors can sue, preventing private individuals and organizations from stopping or delaying new housing projects.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delaying
Verb
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Inventories are unlikely to fully rebuild given the scale of draws in the first half-year and ongoing government stockpiling, the bank said, while lingering geopolitical risk premium would keep a floor under prices.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
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Southern Living also noted that local tourism officials are encouraging visitors to return to the region, as many businesses remain open and rely on tourism dollars despite lingering perceptions that the area is still closed following Hurricane Helene.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
16 June 2026
Verb
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There's a real difference between postponing a non-urgent procedure your vet says can wait and ignoring symptoms that signal something serious.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
-
Indeed, this approach preserved peace in the short term by postponing difficult conversations.—
David H. Rosmarin,
Time,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Mbappé has already been a hero for his country, winning the World Cup in 2018 and scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 final while almost dragging his team to an unlikely defense of the title.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
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Avoid activities that could create a spark, including campfires, outdoor burning and dragging trailer chains.—
Joe Ruch,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
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The county’s cost-saving measures include eliminating vacant positions, cutting programs, deferring maintenance projects, increasing revenue and implementing layoffs.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
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United Airlines would not provide comment when NBC News reached out, deferring instead to law enforcement.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Pulisic, the American star who is under intense pressure to perform in this tournament, set up the goal, pushing the ball between a pair of defenders before poking it on for McKennie in the center of the box.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
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As the miles dragged on, a chase vehicle crept by periodically with cameras poking out the window to capture scenes that could later be shared on social media, where Emanuel now has an almost daily presence.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Verb
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For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
17 June 2026
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The challenge, of course, is that cleaning baseboards often involves crawling around on hands and knees, a task few people are eager to do.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delaying. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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