Noun

• S: (n) delay, hold, time lag, postponement, wait (time during which some action is awaited) "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action"
• S: (n) delay, holdup (the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time)
• direct hyponym / full hyponym
• S: (n) break, interruption, disruption, gap (an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity) "it was presented without commercial breaks"; "there was a gap in his account"
• S: (n) demurrage (detention of a ship or freight car or other cargo beyond its scheduled time of departure)
• S: (n) forbearance (a delay in enforcing rights or claims or privileges; refraining from acting) "his forbearance to reply was alarming"
• S: (n) postponement, deferment, deferral (act of putting off to a future time)
• S: (n) procrastination, cunctation, shillyshally (the act of procrastinating; putting off or delaying or defering an action to a later time)
• S: (n) slowdown, lag, retardation (the act of slowing down or falling behind)
• S: (n) dalliance, dawdling, trifling (the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working)
• S: (n) filibuster ((law) a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches)
• S: (n) tarriance, lingering (the act of tarrying)
• direct hypernym / inherited hypernym / sister term
• derivationally related form

Verb

• S: (v) delay, detain, hold up (cause to be slowed down or delayed) "Traffic was delayed by the bad weather"; "she delayed the work that she didn't want to perform"
• S: (v) delay (act later than planned, scheduled, or required) "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered"
• S: (v) stay, detain, delay (stop or halt) "Please stay the bloodshed!"
• S: (v) check, retard, delay (slow the growth or development of) "The brain damage will retard the child's language development"