Definition of "delay"

delay¹

/dɪˈleɪ/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural delays
1. A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.
  Quotations
  Without any delay, on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Acts 25:17
  The government ought to be settled without the delay of a day.
  1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume 1, London: A. and W. Galignani & Co., published 1849, page 522
  In this article I'm thinking about the big delays, over two hours. While rare, they make the news and help to deter people from future rail travel, both travellers and news viewers.
  2019 October, Ian Walmsley, “Cleaning up”, in Modern Railways, page 42
2. (music) An audio effects unit that introduces a controlled delay.
  Quotations
  The 8-bit sound quality of many early delays did indeed leave a lot to be desired (compare this to the 16-bit digital technology of CDs)
  2014, Dave Hunter, Guitar Amps and Effects For Dummies, page 259
3. (programming, Clojure) Synonym of promise (“object representing delayed result”)
4. (chess) An amount of time provided on each move before one's clock starts to tick; a less common time control than increment.
verb
third-person singular simple present delays, present participle delaying, simple past and past participle delayed
1. (transitive, intransitive) To put off until a later time; to defer.
  Quotations
  My lord delayeth his coming.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Matthew 24:48
2. To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time.
  Quotations
  Mr. Cooke had had a sloop yacht built at Far Harbor, the completion of which had been delayed, and which was but just delivered. […] The Maria had a cabin, which was finished in hard wood and yellow plush, and accommodations for keeping things cold.
  1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter X, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To allay; to temper.
  Quotations
  The watery showers delay the raging wind.
  a. 1547, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, The faithful Lover declareth his Pains and his uncertain Joys, and with only Hope recomforteth somewhat his woful Heart

delay²

verb
third-person singular simple present delays, present participle delaying, simple past and past participle delayed
1. (obsolete) To dilute, temper.
2. (obsolete) To assuage, quench, allay.
  Quotations
  Those dreadfull flames she also found delayd / And quenched quite like a consumed torch […].
  1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie

Definition of "delay"

delay1

noun

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verb

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delay2

verb

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delay¹

delay²