DELAYS Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

delays 1 of 2

noun

plural of delay

as in waits

an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business there was a delay for our boarding while the airplane unloaded incoming passengers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

delays

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of delay

as in lingers

to move or act slowly she ordered the kids to stop delaying and to get to bed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in postpones

to assign to a later time our guests delayed their departure until after dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of delays

Noun

While supply constraints are contributing to the delays, strong demand suggests the device could become another growth engine. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026 Together, these efforts can help smooth the often difficult path from the first unexplained symptoms to an accurate diagnosis, while reducing the risk of both misdiagnosis and unnecessary delays. — Bruce Bebo, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026 By contrast, recent restrictions or delays suggest a greater emphasis on managing relations with Beijing and avoiding unnecessary escalation. — Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Central Valley motorists making their way into the North Bay this weekend may experience some delays as Caltrans shuts down Highway 37, a key regional connector. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Roads in the territory remain open to Israeli drivers, including settlers, who can still travel through the area but may face delays. — Shlomo Mor, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Seko warned shippers through Taiwan, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai and southwestern Japan to anticipate air cargo rollovers, berthing delays and customs and trucking backlogs early in the coming week. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 The opening of the III Points fest sounded a sour note for thousands of fans who poured into Wynwood for a weekend of music only to experience ticketing issues, delays and chaos among the crowd. — Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026 Investors should have access to regular updates on project progress and material changes, including delays or changes to development costs or timelines. — Jill Jones, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Verb

Unexcused absences in three consecutive elections freeze tax IDs, block nonvoters from applying to state jobs, hinders loans from state banks, and delays the issuance of passports. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026 One medium-sized apple has 4 grams of fiber, including soluble fiber, which delays sugar absorption into the bloodstream. — Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 23 Oct. 2026 Facilities ultimately bury or incinerate this waste, which delays the problem rather than solving it. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026 Even if Illinois delays its natural gas plant closings, the state will need more batteries, and Richardson is rushing to provide them. — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 In this scenario, the heart attack now drives the pricing, while the prostate cancer delays the application. — Howard Wolinsky, STAT, 7 Oct. 2026 Fat actually delays gastric emptying and digestion even more, keeping blood sugar much steadier. — Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 17 Sep. 2026 Tennis has always been highly dependent on the weather; unlike in soccer or football, rain cancels or delays a match until the court is dry enough to be playable. — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026 But a provision that delays for one month a federal ban on intoxicating hemp THC products has prompted criticism from many GOP lawmakers. — Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for delays

Noun

Some voters faced waits of up to two hours, and the county’s online wait-time map didn’t always match what people saw at the polls.

— Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026
For instance, applicants from countries such as China and India (registration required) may face lengthier waits due to backlog risks and high demand.

— Jill Jones, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of waits

Verb

There are few households in Israel that haven’t been affected in some way by the events that have played out since, leaving a sense of profound grief and insecurity that lingers across the Israeli society.

— Yarden Segev, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026
Even as the sense of a hazy disturbance in the force lingers, Burkholder’s approximately three-minute statement at least demystified some of the curious situation.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of lingers

Verb

The injury postpones any plans to send the 20-year-old out on loan.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Or someone managing diabetes who postpones a preventive visit because grocery shopping, prescription pickups, and coordinating multiple specialists compete for limited time and energy.

— Aimée K. Dailey, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of postpones

Verb

Try to keep that in mind the next time your kid drags you to some terrible Star Wars thing that nobody asked for.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2026
The deadpan family comedy follows a 63-year-old man who drags nine relatives on a one-day tour of nine temples after a fortune teller warns that his mother will soon die.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of drags

Verb

There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawls

Verb

Georgia’s early voting surge is fueled by a growing geographic divide, with voters in metro Atlanta’s suburbs and other more populous areas casting ballots well ahead of their 2022 pace while much of rural Georgia lags behind.

— Charles Minshew, AJC.com, 22 Oct. 2026
While that’s getting closer to reality for some types of cancer (especially colon and ovarian cancer), breast cancer lags in this area simply because its cancer cells tend to be more localized.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of lags

Browse Nearby Words

delaying

delays

dele

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Delays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delays. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of delays

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shindig

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes