Definition Definition

delay - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'delay' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Delay [ n.]
- To put off; to defer; to procrastinate; to prolong the time of or before.
- To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time; to retard the motion, or time of arrival, of; as, the mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow.
- To allay; to temper.
2 . Delay [ v.]
- A putting off or deferring; procrastination; lingering inactivity; stop; detention; hindrance.
3 . Delay [ v. i.]
- To move slowly; to stop for a time; to linger; to tarry.

Meaning of 'delay' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . delay [ n]
Meaning (1):
- time during which some action is awaited
Example in sentence:
  • he ordered a hold in the action;
  • instant replay caused too long a delay
2 . delay [ v]
Meaning (2):
- act later than planned, scheduled, or required
Example in sentence:
  • Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered
Meaning (3):
- stop or halt
Example in sentence:
  • Please stay the bloodshed!
Meaning (4):
- cause to be slowed down or delayed
Example in sentence:
  • she delayed the work that she didn't want to perform;
  • Traffic was delayed by the bad weather
Meaning (5):
- slow the growth or development of
Example in sentence:
  • The brain damage will retard the child's language development