delay
verb
US /dɪˈleɪ/ UK /dɪˈleɪ/
A2 [ I or T ]
to make something happen at a later time than originally planned or expected:
My plane was delayed by an hour.
Heavy snow delayed the start of the game.
[ + -ing verb ] I think we should delay deciding about this until next year.
B1 [ T ]
to cause someone or something to be slow or late:
I was delayed by traffic.
[ I ]
to not act quickly or immediately:
If you delay now, the opportunity might be lost.
More examples
The new treatment can delay the onset of the disease by several years.
This decision may delay the process of European unification.
The legal to-ings and fro-ings could delay the start of the trial for up to six months.
The project has been delayed by innumerable problems.
They've just announced on the PA that our flight's been delayed.
