Synonyms for delay
dɪˈleɪ

Wiktionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. delayverb

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

2. delayverb

   To put off until a later time; to distract.

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

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 Antonyms(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

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.

Princeton's WordNet(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate these synonyms:

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"

   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

   Antonyms:
   hurry, rush

2. delay, holdupverb

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

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

   Antonyms:
   rush, hurry

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"

   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

   Antonyms:
   hurry, rush

4. delayverb

   act later than planned, scheduled, or required

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

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

   Antonyms:
   hurry, rush

5. stay, detain, delayverb

   stop or halt

   "Please stay the bloodshed!"

   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

   Antonyms:
   hurry, rush

6. check, retard, delayverb

   slow the growth or development of

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

   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

   Antonyms:
   rush, hurry

Matched Categories

1. • Wait

Dictionary of English Synonymes(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. delayverb

   Synonyms:
   defer, postpone, procrastinate, put off, stave off, let lie over

2. delayverb

   Synonyms:
   detain, hinder, retard, step, impede

3. delayverb

   Synonyms:
   linger, tarry, stop, procrastinate

4. delaynoun

   Synonyms:
   procrastination, postponement, deferring, the fabian policy, masterly inactivity

5. delaynoun

   Synonyms:
   detention, stay, stop, hinderance

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. delaynoun

   Synonyms:
   deferring, deferment, procrastination, postponement, respite, reprieve, retardation, retention, obstruction, dawdling, lingering, dalliance

   Antonyms:
   dispatch, promptness, expedition, haste

2. delayverb

   Synonyms:
   postpone, defer, procrastinate, suspend, reprieve, retard, impede, hinder, obstruct, linger, tarry, dawdle, dally

   Antonyms:
   dispatch, hasten, expedite, facilitate

PPDB, the paraphrase database(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these paraphrases:

1. List of paraphrases for "delay":

   delays, postpone, delaying, retardation, postponement, delayed, backlog, late, backwardness, deadline, defer, lag, lateness, procrastination, tardiness, demora, retard, ado, postponed, time-limit, period, slippage, postpones, overdue, behind, timeframe, deferral, time, wait

How to pronounce delay?

How to say delay in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use delay in a sentence?

1. Keith Hill:

   The current oil price has indeed put pressure on the project, but we do not believe this low price is sustainable. We do not see a major delay to the project as a result of the oil price, our biggest issue is getting the pipeline finalised.

2. President Sean McGarvey:

   We fear that President Obama has now set a dangerous precedent where political considerations can now thwart or delay every single infrastructure project moving forward.

3. Gideon Wanjohi:

   As soon as I finished the porridge, I would head straight to the room where the prison warden gave us the drugs. A slight delay or failure meant a thorough beating with the cane, we would then sit and wait for lunch, sit and wait for dinner, then sleep.

4. Ker Gibbs:

   It's very political, and it could really shift very quickly, and again, that's the kind of thing that leads companies to delay their investment decisions.

5. Vince Mazzeo:

   I'm hopeful Chris Christie will do the right thing and sign these bills without delay, we must stop the bleeding... these initiatives should be a catalyst that drives hundreds of millions of new investment to Atlantic City.

Images & Illustrations of delay