26984 words

delay

6 definitions • 14 examples
1
to make something happen at a later time than originally planned or expected:

Examples:

My plane was delayed by an hour.
Heavy snow delayed the start of the game.
[ + -ing verb ] I think we should delay deciding about this until next year.
2
to cause someone or something to be slow or late:

Examples:

I was delayed by traffic.
3
to not act quickly or immediately:

Examples:

If you delay now, the opportunity might be lost.
4
the situation in which you have to wait longer than expected for something to happen, or the time that you have to wait:

Examples:

delay in There has been a delay in the book's publication.
without delay This situation needs to be tackled without delay.
Long delays are predicted on the motorway because of the accident.
5
to cause to be late or to cause to happen at a later time, or to wait before acting:

Examples:

[ T ] He wants to delay the meeting until Wednesday.
[ T ] The space launch was delayed because of bad weather.
[ I ] Don’t delay in ordering tickets to the show.
6
a period when something that might happen does not happen or does not happen quickly enough, or the failure to act quickly:

Examples:

[ U ] You need to call back without delay.
[ C ] The holiday traffic is likely to cause long delays.
[ C ] Any further delay would threaten the entire project.

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