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/dɪlˈeɪ/ Listen

noun

Delay n. (pl. delays) A putting off or deferring; procrastination; lingering inactivity; stop; detention; hindrance. "Without any delay, on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat." "The government ought to be settled without the delay of a day."

verb

Delay v. t. (past & past part. delayed; pres. part. delaying)

To put off; to defer; to procrastinate; to prolong the time of or before. "My lord delayeth his coming."

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. "Thyrsis! whose artful strains have oft delayed The huddling brook to hear his madrigal."

To allay; to temper. (Obs.) "The watery showers delay the raging wind."

Delay v. i. To move slowly; to stop for a time; to linger; to tarry. "There seem to be certain bounds to the quickness and slowness of the succession of those ideas,... beyond which they can neither delay nor hasten."

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Etymology of 'Delay'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Delay" Quotes from Famous Books

... eighteen hundred pounds of wheat, may easily grow two whole tons of straw and chaff. These latter are absolutely necessary to the formation of the wheat kernel; yet the consumer usually has little use for them; he gets past them to the grain with the least possible delay, often throwing these ...

— How To Study and Teaching How To Study • F. M. McMurry

... a great annoyance to Captain Sinclair to have to wait in this manner, but there was no help for it. He was satisfied that it was the most prudent course, and therefore raised no objection. Alfred too was uneasy at the delay, as he was aware how anxious his father and mother would be during the whole time of their absence. They were glad, however, to find that the Indian woman recovered rapidly, and on the fifth day of ...

— The Settlers in Canada • Frederick Marryat

... to the fair in a motor, but a slight delay occurs on the way. How they finally arrived at the fair ground and their amusing experiences ...

— A Day at the County Fair • Alice Hale Burnett

... Forgive the long delay in replying to your letter. You see, I am out on a long cruise on the Bay of San Francisco, and up the rivers of California, and receive my mail only semi-occasionally. Yours has now come to hand, and I have ...

— The Suffrage Cook Book • L. O. Kleber

... moment to say that every able-bodied female in the land, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, who is in favor of "women's rights" should be drafted and set to work upon this great work without delay. (Roars of laughter.) Nevertheless, sir, it grieves my very soul to be compelled to say that I can not vote for the grant of lands ...

— The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VIII (of X) • Various

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