delay
0 antonyms and opposites of delay, grouped by meaning.
Noun — A period of waiting before something happens; a hold-up.
How to use delay
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
From Old French delaier, ultimately tied to Old Frankish roots meaning "to hinder" — a distant cousin of the word "dally."
Full origin of delay →Frequently asked questions
What does “delay” mean?
The word “delay” means a period of waiting before something happens; a hold-up. In plain terms, putting something off, or the wait that happens before something occurs.
How do you pronounce “delay”?
“Delay” is pronounced dih-LAY (/dɪˈleɪ̯/ in IPA).
How do you use “delay” in a sentence?
Here is “delay” used in a sentence: “There was a two-hour delay at the airport because of fog.”
What is another word for “delay”?
Words with a similar meaning to “delay” include hold-up, deferment, dilation, detain, hinder and hesitance.
What part of speech is “delay”?
Depending on how it is used, “delay” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “delay” come from?
The word “delay” comes from Old French. From Old French delaier, ultimately tied to Old Frankish roots meaning "to hinder" — a distant cousin of the word "dally.".
Is “delay” a common word?
“Delay” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “delay” have?
“Delay” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a period of waiting before something happens; a hold-up.
What is the difference between a delay and a postponement?
A delay is any hold-up that makes something happen later than expected, often unplanned and out of your control, like a traffic delay. A postponement is a deliberate decision to move something to a later time or date. One usually just happens; the other is chosen on purpose.
What is an example of a delay?
A flight held on the runway for an hour, a train arriving late, a parcel that takes extra days, or a meeting that starts behind schedule are all delays. In each case there is a period of waiting before the thing finally happens — a hold-up between the expected time and the real one.
What causes delays?
Delays arise from anything that interrupts a schedule — bad weather, technical faults, heavy traffic, staff shortages, waiting on approvals, or unexpected problems. Whether the cause is mechanical, human, or environmental, the result is the same: a period of waiting before something can happen, pushing it later than planned.
What is the opposite of a delay?
There is no single perfect antonym, but the opposite idea is promptness, punctuality, or something happening on time or even ahead of schedule. Where a delay adds waiting and pushes an event later, being early or on time removes that hold-up entirely.