Delay

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: de=lay

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Delay, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. postpone; defer.
2 tr. make late (was delayed at the traffic lights).
3 intr. loiter; be late (don't delay!).
--n.
1 the act or an instance of delaying; the process of being delayed.
2 time lost by inaction or the inability to proceed.
3 a hindrance.

Idiom

delayed-action (attrib.) (esp. of a bomb, camera, etc.) operating some time after being primed or set. delay line Electr. a device producing a desired delay in the transmission of a signal.

Derivative

delayer n.

Etymology

ME f. OF delayer (v.), delai (n.), prob. f. des- DIS- + laier leave: see RELAY

THESAURUS

Delay

abide, adjourn, afterthought, arrest, arrestation, arrestment, await, backpedal, backwater, be a sideliner, be still, bide, bide the issue, bind, block, blockage, blocking, bog down, bottle up, brake, bureaucratic delay, check, clip the wings, clogging, closing up, closure, coast, confine, constriction, continue, countercheck, cramp, curb, dally, dam up, damp, dampen, dawdle, dawdling, decelerate, deceleration, defer, deferment, deferral, delayage, delayed reaction, detain, detainment, detention, dilly, dillydally, do nothing, double take, drag, drag along, drag out, dragging, draw rein, drift, drone, ease off, ease up, ease-off, ease-up, extend, falter, fixation, flag, flagging, foot-dragging, gap, goof off, halt, hampering, hang about, hang around, hang back, hang fire, hang up, hang-up, hesitate, hiatus, hibernate, hinder, hindering, hindrance, hold back, hold everything, hold in check, hold off, hold on, hold over, hold up, hold your horses, hold-up, holdback, holdup, idle, impede, impediment, inhibit, inhibition, interference, interim, interlude, intermeddle, intermit, interrupt, interruption, interval, intervene, jam, keep, keep back, keep in check, lacuna, lag, lag behind, lagging, lay aside, lay away, lay by, lay over, let, let down, let up, letdown, letup, lie dormant, linger, logjam, loiter, loitering, lollygag, lose ground, lose momentum, lose speed, lull, make late, mark time, meddle, minus acceleration, mire, moderate, moratorium, mull, negativism, not budge, not stir, nuisance value, obstruct, obstruction, obstructionism, occlusion, oppose, opposition, paperasserie, pause, pigeonhole, poke, poke along, postpone, postponement, procrastinate, prolong, prorogate, prorogue, protract, push aside, put aside, put away, put in mothballs, put off, put on ice, recess, red tape, red-tapeism, red-tapery, reef, rein in, relax, repress, repression, reprieve, reserve, resist, resistance, respite, rest, restrain, restraint, restriction, retard, retardance, retardation, retardment, scotch, set aside, set back, set by, setback, shelve, shift off, shilly-shally, shilly-shallying, sideline, sit back, sit it out, sit tight, sit up, slack off, slack up, slack-up, slacken, slackening, sleep on, slow, slow down, slow up, slow-up, slowdown, slowing, slowing down, slowness, slowup, snub, squeeze, stagnate, stall, stand over, stave off, stay, stay of execution, stay up, stick around, stop, stoppage, store, stow, stranglehold, stretch out, stricture, suppress, suppression, suspend, suspension, table, table the motion, take a recess, take in sail, take time, tarry, tarrying, temporize, throttle down, tie-up, time lag, trail, vacillate, vegetate, wait, wait a minute, wait and see, waiting, waive, waste time, watch and wait, waver

ROGET THESAURUS

Delay

Diuturnity

N diuturnity, a long time, a length of time, an age, a century, an eternity, slowness, perpetuity, blue moon, coon's age, dog's age, durableness, durability, persistence, endlessness, lastingness, continuance, standing, permanence, survival, survivance, longevity, distance of time, protraction of time, prolongation of time, extension of time, delay, durable, lasting, of long duration, of long-standing, permanent, endless, chronic, long-standing, intransient, intransitive, intransmutable, persistent, lifelong, livelong, longeval, long-lived, macrobiotic, diuturnal, evergreen, perennial, sempervirent, sempervirid, unrelenting, unintermitting, unremitting, perpetual, lingering, protracted, prolonged, spun out, long-pending, long-winded, slow, long, for a long time, for an age, for ages, for ever so long, for many a long day, long ago, longo intervallo, all the day long, all the year round, the livelong day, as the day is long, morning noon and night, hour after hour, day after day, for good, permanently.

Lateness

N lateness, tardiness, delay, delation, cunctation, procrastination, deferring, deferral, postponement, adjournment, prorogation, retardation, respite, pause, reprieve, stay of execution, protraction, prolongation, Fabian policy, medecine expectante, chancery suit, federal case, leeway, high time, moratorium, holdover, late, tardy, slow, behindhand, serotine, belated, postliminious, posthumous, backward, unpunctual, untimely, delayed, postponed, dilatory, delayed, in abeyance, late, lateward, backward, late in the day, at sunset, at the eleventh hour, at length, at last, ultimately, after time, behind time, after the deadline, too late, too late for, slowly, leisurely, deliberately, at one's leisure, ex post facto, sine die, nonum prematur in annum, against the sunbeams serotine and lucent, ie meglio tardi che mai, deliberando saepe perit occasio.

VB be late, tarry, wait, stay, bide, take time, dawdle, linger, loiter, bide one's time, take one's time, gain time, hang fire, stand over, lie over, put off, defer, delay, lay over, suspend, table, shift off, stave off, waive, retard, remand, postpone, adjourn, procrastinate, dally, prolong, protract, spin out, draw out, lengthen out, stretch out, prorogue, keep back, tide over, push to the last, drive to the last, let the matter stand over, reserve, temporize, consult one's pillow, sleep on it, lose an opportunity, be kept waiting, dance attendance, kick one's heels, cool one's heels, faire antichambre, wait impatiently, await, sit up, sit up at night.

Slowness

N slowness, languor, drawl, creeping, lentor, retardation, slackening, delay, claudication, jog trot, dog trot, mincing steps, slow march, slow time, slow goer, slow coach, slow back, lingerer, loiterer, sluggard, tortoise, snail, poke, dawdle, slow, slack, tardy, dilatory, gentle, easy, leisurely, deliberate, gradual, insensible, imperceptible, glacial, languid, sluggish, slow paced, tardigrade, snail-like, creeping, reptatorial, slowly, leisurely, piano, adagio, largo, larghetto, at half speed, under easy sail, at a foots pace, at a snail's pace, at a funeral pace, in slow time, with mincing steps, with clipped wings, haud passibus aequis, gradually, gradatim, by degrees, by slow degrees, by inches, by little and little, step by step, one step at a time, inch by inch, bit by bit, little by little, seriatim, consecutively, dum Roma deliberat Saguntum perit, at a glacial pace.