[noun]Any delay (= failure to act quickly) could be disastrous. [U]This situation needs to be tackled without delay. [U]Long delays (= Situations in which something cannot happen quickly) are likely on the motorway because of an accident. [C]There has been a delay in the book's publication (= it will happen later than expected). [C]
DELAY
Meaning of DELAY in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012