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.

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.

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.

A delay is a wait or a postponement. An unexpected delay before the start of a play might make the audience restless and noisy. During a delay, you have to wait around for things to begin. Delay is …

If you delay, you deliberately take longer than necessary to do something. If he delayed any longer, the sun would be up. [VERB]

Jan 11, 2026 · /dɪˈleɪd/ /dɪˈleɪd/ IPA guide Definitions of delayed adjective not as far along as normal in development

[ 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.