v. 1 postpone, put off or aside, defer, temporize, suspend, shelve, hold off or up (on), put on hold, hold in abeyance, put or keep in a holding pattern, pigeon-hole, put on ice, put in or into the deep-freeze, Colloq put on the back burner, Brit kick into touch, US hold off or up (on), table We shall delay our decision till next month 2 hold up or back, detain, impede, hinder, retard, keep, bog down, set back, slow (up or down); stop, arrest, halt, check; obstruct Delivery of the mail has been delayed by the strike We were delayed by traffic. 3 loiter, procrastinate, hesitate, poke or drag (along), tarry, wait, lag (behind), dawdle, hang back, stall, linger, dally, mark time, potter or US putter; vacillate; Colloq dilly-dally, shilly-shally, drag one's feet Stop delaying and get to work
n. 4 postponement, deferral, deferment, wait, hold-up; set-back There will be a ten-day delay in paying the rent 5 lull, interlude, hiatus, interruption, gap, interval, lacuna, stop, stoppage, wait, waiting, hold-up, suspension After an hour's delay, service was resumed 6 tarrying, loitering, dawdling, Colloq dilly-dallying, shilly-shallying There should be no further delay in shipping the order