delay
[verb]
Synonyms:
- put off, defer, hold over, postpone, procrastinate, shelve, suspend
- hold up, bog down, detain, hinder, hold back, impede, obstruct, set back, slow up
[noun]
Synonyms:
- putting off, deferment, postponement, procrastination, suspension
- hold-up, hindrance, impediment, interruption, interval, setback, stoppage, wait

---

Antonyms: expedite, hasten, hurry
Contrasted words: accelerate, hasten, hurry, precipitate, quicken, speed, advance, forward, further, promote
Related Idioms: hang fire, take one's own sweet (or good) time
Related Words: block, hinder, impede, obstruct, defer, hold over, hold up, intermit, postpone, put off, stay, suspend, arrest, check, interrupt, hang back, idle, wait, drone, falter, hesitate, vacillate, waver

---

English Thesaurus: delay, postpone, put off, hold off, defer, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. de‧lay¹ W3 /dɪˈleɪ/ noun

1. [countable] when someone or something has to wait, or the length of the waiting time:
Sorry for the delay, Mr Weaver.
delay in
Why was there a delay in warning the public?
delay of
a delay of about an hour
long/considerable/slight etc delay
Long delays are expected on the motorways.

2. [uncountable] when something does not happen or start when it should do
without delay
They must restore normal services without delay.
There can be no excuse for any further delay.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. delay² W3 verb
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: delaier, from laier 'to leave']

1. [intransitive and transitive] to wait until a later time to do something:
Don’t delay – send off for the information now.
He delayed his decision on whether to call an election.
delay something until something
The opening of this section of the road is delayed until September.
delay something for something
Our meeting was delayed for ten minutes.
delay doing something
Big companies often delay paying their bills.

2. [transitive] to make someone or something late
seriously/badly/slightly etc delayed
The flight was badly delayed because of fog.
—delayed adjective

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

delay
noun
ADJ. considerable, enormous, lengthy, long, major, serious, significant, substantial After a considerable delay, the government has agreed to accept the recommendations.
excessive, inordinate, undue, unnecessary Undue delays have been caused by people not doing their jobs properly.
inevitable, unavoidable | short, slight | unforeseen | frustrating | further | airport, flight, traffic, travel | time There is a five-minute time delay on the bank's safe.
QUANT. series After a series of lengthy delays, the case finally came to court.
VERB + DELAY be subject to Flights to New York may be subject to delay.
be plagued by, experience, face, suffer Passengers have experienced long delays. The project has been plagued by delays.
cause, lead to The strike has led to some delays in train services.
avoid, prevent, reduce Please address your letters properly so as to reduce delays.
apologize for I apologize for the delay in replying to you.
DELAY + VERB occur Travellers complained about lack of information when travel delays occurred.
PREP. without ~ Please send him the information without delay.
~ in delays in getting to the airport
~ of a delay of several weeks
~ to further delays to the scheme

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

delay
verb
ADV. seriously, significantly Mellanby's arrival was seriously delayed by a late train. These drugs can significantly delay the onset of the disease.
further | unduly | slightly, somewhat | inevitably, unavoidably | unaccountably | deliberately

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

delay

a slight/short delay
There was a slight delay in the departure of the plane.
a long/lengthy delay
Patients often face long delays in getting the treatment they need.
a considerable/serious delay (=very long)
After a considerable delay, the report was finally published.
a 20-minute/6-month/4-week etc delay
A train had broken down, causing a two-hour delay.
traffic delays
The roadworks are likely to cause serious traffic delays.
flight delays
Unfortunately flight delays do sometimes occur.
cause/lead to a delay
The bad weather caused a three-hour delay in sending out rescue helicopters.
experience delays
People are experiencing considerable delays in receiving their mail.
face delays (=be likely to experience them)
Commuters face long delays as a result of the rail strikes.
reduce delays (=make them shorter and less frequent)
The new rules should reduce delays in bringing prisoners to trial.
a series of delays (=a number of delays)
After a series of delays and setbacks, the project was finally approved.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

delay to wait until a later time to do something:
He decided to delay his decision until he had seen the full report.
postpone to change an event to a later time or date:
The meeting was postponed.
put off to delay doing something. Put off is less formal than delay or postpone, and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
I used to put off making difficult decisions.
The game has been put off till next week.
hold off to delay doing something, especially while you are waiting for more information or for something else to happen:
House buyers seem to be holding off until interest rates drop.
defer formal to delay doing something until a later date, usually because something else needs to happen first:
The decision had been deferred until after a meeting of the directors.
She decided to defer her university application for a year so that she could go travelling.
procrastinate /prəˈkræstəneɪt, prəˈkræstɪneɪt/ formal to delay doing something that you ought to do:
Don’t procrastinate – make a start on your assignments as soon as you get them.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

postpone verb [transitive] to change the date or time of a planned event or action to a later one:
The game was postponed because of heavy snow.
We had to postpone the trip because of my father’s illness.
The trial has been postponed until November.
put something off phrasal verb [transitive] to decide to do something later than you planned to do it or later than you should do it, especially because there is a problem or because you do not want to do it now:
I really should go to the dentist, but I keep putting it off.
The concert’s been put off till next week.
The committee decided to put off making any decision until the new year.
delay verb [transitive] to not do something until something else has happened or until a more suitable time:
He decided to delay his departure until after he’d seen the Director.
Police delayed making any announcement until the girl’s relatives had been contacted.
procrastinate verb [intransitive] formal to delay doing something that you ought to do, usually because you do not want to do it – used especially to show disapproval:
Kerry procrastinated for as long as possible before firing anyone.
He had been procrastinating over starting the work.
be pushed/moved/put back if an event is pushed back, someone arranges for it to be held at a later time or date than originally planned:
Their meeting has been put back to next Thursday.
The museum’s opening date was pushed back so that safety checks could be carried out.
The game on April 1 has been moved back to April 5.
shelve verb [transitive] to decide not to continue with a plan, project etc now although it may be considered again at some time in the future:
Plans for a new stadium have been shelved for now.
The city shelved the project due to lack of funding.
put something on ice/put something on the back burner to decide not to continue with a plan, project etc until a later time. These expressions are rather informal and are often used in business English:
The project has had to be put on ice due to lack of funding.
Blears called for the discussions to be put on ice until after the elections.
The plan seems to have been put on the back burner.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲