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delay

de·lay

delay

 
 
pronunciation:
d leI
parts of speech:
transitive verb, intransitive verb, noun
features:
Word Combinations (verb, noun), Word Explorer
part of speech: transitive verb
inflections: delays, delaying, delayed
definition 1: to postpone until a later time.
We had to delay our trip because of his illness.Don't delay making a decision about this; it's important.
antonyms:
advance, dispatch
similar words:
defer, postpone, procrastinate, put off, respite, shelve, suspend, wait
definition 2: to cause to be late; detain.
Rain delayed the start of the baseball game.A fire on the tracks delayed the train.
similar words:
detain, hang up, slow
definition 3: to hinder or impede the progress of.
He received a penalty for delaying the game.Heavy rains delayed the building project.
antonyms:
accelerate, expedite, hasten
similar words:
impede, obstruct, retard, slow, stall
 
part of speech: intransitive verb
definition: to linger, procrastinate, or cause delay.
If you delay another day, you may lose your chance.She delayed in making the hotel reservation, and now they will have to stay out of town.
antonyms:
hasten, hurry
similar words:
defer, hang, linger, loiter, procrastinate, retard, stall, tarry
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
 
part of speech: noun
definition 1: the act of postponing or delaying.
His delay in responding to the prize notification caused him to lose the prize.
antonyms:
dispatch
similar words:
hold, wait
definition 2: the condition or an instance of being detained or delayed.
Heavy traffic was the reason for the delay.We do apologize for the delay in shipping.
similar words:
hitch, hold, impediment, wait
definition 3: the period of time during which someone or something is delayed.
There will be an hour delay before we'll be boarding the plane.I just read my book during these delays.
similar words:
lag, wait
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivation: delayed (adj.)
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