The meaning of DELAY is the act of postponing, hindering, or causing something to occur more slowly than normal : the state of being delayed. How to use delay in a sentence.

DELAYED definition: 1. happening at a later time than expected, or happening some time after the event that caused it…. Learn more.

DELAYED definition: put off; postponed. See examples of delayed used in a sentence.

1. To postpone until a later time; defer. 2. To cause to be later or slower than expected or desired: Heavy traffic delayed us.

an instance of being delayed: There were many delays during the train trip. the period or amount of time during which something is delayed: The ballet performance began after a half-hour delay.

The doctor wants to delay surgery for a few weeks. They delayed [= put off] having children until their late 30s. She's planning to delay her retirement.

Synonyms for DELAYED: belated, late, posthumous, postmortem, postponed, deferred, suspended, lingered; Antonyms of DELAYED: afoot, under weigh, under way, hurried, rushed, …

[ T ] He wants to delay the meeting until Wednesday. [ T ] The space launch was delayed because of bad weather. [ I ] Don’t delay in ordering tickets to the show.

1 day ago · New Jersey school districts have called for delayed openings on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 due to a winter storm that hit the state with more than 8 inches of snow in some towns. …

Definition of delay verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. 1 [intransitive, transitive] to not do something until a later time or to make something happen at a later time synonym …