Meaning & Definition of Delay in English
English⟶
Delay
/dɪle/
noun
1. Time during which some action is awaited
- "Instant replay caused too long a delay"
- "He ordered a hold in the action"
synonym:
- delay,
- hold,
- time lag,
- postponement,
- wait
2. The act of delaying
- Inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time
synonym:
- delay,
- holdup
verb
1. Cause to be slowed down or delayed
- "Traffic was delayed by the bad weather"
- "She delayed the work that she didn't want to perform"
synonym:
- delay,
- detain,
- hold up
2. Act later than planned, scheduled, or required
- "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered"
synonym:
- delay
3. Stop or halt
- "Please stay the bloodshed!"
synonym:
- stay,
- detain,
- delay
4. Slow the growth or development of
- "The brain damage will retard the child's language development"
synonym:
- check,
- retard,
- delay
Examples of using
We apologize for the delay.
There's no excuse for his delay.
We have to allow for the delay of the train.