delay

Plural: delays

Noun

time during which some action is awaited
- "instant replay caused too long a delay"
the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time
A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.
An audio effects unit that introduces a controlled delay.
Synonym of promise (“object representing delayed result”).
An amount of time provided on each move before one's clock starts to tick; a less common time control than increment.

Verb

Verb Forms: delayed, delaying, delays

To make someone or something late; to postpone.
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"
act later than planned, scheduled, or required
- "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered"
stop or halt
slow the growth or development of
To put off until a later time; to defer.
To retard; to temporarily stop, detain, or hinder.
To wait, hesitate, tarry.
To allay; to temper.
To dilute, temper.
To assuage, quench, allay.

Examples

Don't delay; this special offer ends at midnight!
He tried to delay his turn, hoping a better word would miraculously appear in his rack.
the delay before the echo of a sound
The mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow.
Two twenty minutes' delays.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English delaien, borrowed from Anglo-Norman delaier, Old French deslaier, from des- + Old French laier (“to leave”), a conflation of Old Frankish *lattjan ("to delay, hinder"; from Proto-Germanic *latjaną (“to delay, hinder, stall”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to leave, leave behind”)), and Old Frankish *laibijan ("to leave"; from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to leave, cause to stay”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to remain, continue”)). Doublet of dally.
Akin to Old English latian (“to delay, hesitate”), Old English latu (“a delay, a hindrance”), Old English lǣfan (“to leave”). More at let (to hinder), late, leave.

Synonyms

check, detain, hold, hold up, holdup, postponement, retard, stay, time lag, wait, adjourn, belate, calm, cunctation, defer, deferment, delay, dilation, forslow, get in the way of, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, hold-up, holdoff, impede, moderate, penelopize, postpone, procrastinate, promise, prorogation, put off, put on ice, quell, respite, suspend

Antonyms

rush

Scrabble Score: 9

delay: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
delay: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
delay: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

delay: valid Words With Friends Word