What are some opposite words for delay?

Antonyms for delay
dɪˈleɪde·lay

This page is about all possible antonyms and opposite words for the term delay.

Wiktionary1.0 / 1 vote

  1. delayverb

    Synonyms:
    put off, suspend, postpone, defer, forslow, put on ice, adjourn

  2. delayverb

    previously unexpected period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying.

    Synonyms:
    put off, forslow, suspend, put on ice, defer, postpone, adjourn

  3. delayverb

    To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time.

    Synonyms:
    forslow, suspend, put off, postpone, adjourn, put on ice, defer

English Synonyms and Antonyms1.0 / 1 vote

  1. delay

    To hinder is to keep from action, progress, motion, or growth, or to make such action, progress, motion, or growth later in beginning or completion than it would otherwise have been. An action is prevented by anything that comes in before it to make it impossible; it is hindered by anything that keeps it from either beginning or ending so soon as it otherwise would, or as expected or intended. It is more common, however, to say that the start is delayed, the progress hindered. An action that is hindered does not take place at the appointed or appropriate time; that which is prevented does not take place at all; to hinder a thing long enough may amount to preventing it. A railroad-train may be hindered by a snow-storm from arriving on time; it may by special order be prevented from starting. To retard is simply to make slow by any means whatever. To obstruct is to hinder, or possibly to prevent advance or passage by putting something in the way; to oppose or resist is to hinder, or possibly to prevent by directly contrary or hostile action, resist being the stronger term and having more suggestion of physical force; obstructed roads hinder the march of an enemy, tho there may be no force strong enough to oppose it; one opposes a measure, a motion, an amendment, or the like; it is a criminal offense to resist an officer in the discharge of his duty; the physical system may resist the attack of disease or the action of a remedy. Compare CONQUER; IMPEDIMENT; OBSTRUCT.

    See synonyms for QUICKEN.

    Synonyms:
    baffle, balk, bar, block, check, clog, counteract, embarrass, encumber, foil, frustrate, hamper, hinder, impede, interrupt, obstruct, oppose, prevent, resist, retard, stay, stop, thwart

    Preposition:
    Hinder one in his progress; from acting promptly; by opposition.

Matched Categories

Princeton's WordNet3.5 / 2 votes

  1. delay, hold, time lag, postponement, waitnoun

    time during which some action is awaited

    "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action"

    Antonyms:
    hurry, rush

    Synonyms:
    clutch, grip, storage area, keep, holdup, detainment, deferral, handle, hold, appreciation, handgrip, wait, cargo area, detention, postponement, waiting, custody, clasp, cargo deck, clench, clutches, grasp, time lag, deferment, cargo hold

  2. delay, holdupverb

    the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time

    Antonyms:
    rush, hurry

    Synonyms:
    stickup, time lag, holdup, wait, armed robbery, postponement, heist, hold

  3. delay, detain, hold upverb

    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"

    Antonyms:
    hurry, rush

    Synonyms:
    go, live, detain, stick up, stay, last, confine, hold up, hold out, hold, sustain, hold water, live on, support, check, retard, endure, stand up, withstand, defy, survive

  4. delayverb

    act later than planned, scheduled, or required

    "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered"

    Antonyms:
    hurry, rush

    Synonyms:
    retard, hold up, check, detain, stay

  5. stay, detain, delayverb

    stop or halt

    "Please stay the bloodshed!"

    Antonyms:
    hurry, rush

    Synonyms:
    quell, bide, stick, stay, last out, confine, hold up, ride out, persist, check, rest, appease, remain, stick around, abide, retard, stay on, stay put, outride, continue, detain

  6. check, retard, delayverb

    slow the growth or development of

    "The brain damage will retard the child's language development"

    Antonyms:
    rush, hurry

    Synonyms:
    checker, check, slow up, slow down, moderate, mark, slow, watch, look into, crack, check up on, arrest, go over, tick off, match, tick, fit, hold back, stop, ascertain, determine, assure, find out, agree, turn back, stay, check into, train, break, control, check off, check out, learn, curb, hold up, hold, see to it, see, chequer, discipline, mark off, tally, ensure, decelerate, hold in, suss out, detain, contain, check over, jibe, condition, retard, correspond, insure, gibe

Editors Contribution2.0 / 4 votes

  1. immediate

    occurring or done at once; instant.

    "the authorities took no immediate action"

    Submitted by rinat on June 11, 2017  
  2. compel

    Submitted by anonymous on December 16, 2020  

How to use delay in a sentence?

  1. Rick Hasen:

    This is why they want to delay certification, because delaying certification could be a predicate to arguing that the state didn't make a choice, and that the legislature should step in.

  2. John Hannah:

    The President is the clear cause of the delay, the President doesn't want to pull the trigger on sanctions and torpedoing Turkey's purchase of the F-35 fighter jets. In the first place, The President's got an unfortunate affinity for Erdogan.

  3. Arthur Brouwer:

    Some of the customers can change what they like or they delay decisions sometimes in a way that can't help them be timely, like adding an elevator will impact the central weight of the ship, so we have to do all the calculations and it might impact the performance of the ship.

  4. Abbe Lowell:

    ( AMS's) tactics will only delay resolution of these cases, to the further detriment of those who have been injured.

  5. Sandie Ha:

    We found that living closer to a major roadway such as an interstate highway or a state highway is associated with almost two times the risk of having a communication delay by the time the baby is 3 years old, closer.

How to pronounce delay?

How to say delay in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
#3446delay
#4640rush
#12483hurry

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