2
general::
delay
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + delay
a slight/short delay
• There was a slight delay in the departure of the plane.
a long/lengthy delay
• Patients often face long delays in getting the treatment they need.
a considerable/serious delay
(= very long )
• After a considerable delay, the report was finally published.
a 20-minute/6-month/4-week etc delay
• A train had broken down, causing a two-hour delay.
traffic delays
• The roadworks are likely to cause serious traffic delays.
flight delays
• Unfortunately flight delays do sometimes occur.
verbs
cause/lead to a delay
• The bad weather caused a three-hour delay in sending out rescue helicopters.
experience delays
• People are experiencing considerable delays in receiving their mail.
face delays
(= be likely to experience them )
• Commuters face long delays as a result of the rail strikes.
reduce delays
(= make them shorter and less frequent )
• The new rules should reduce delays in bringing prisoners to trial.
phrases
a series of delays
(= a number of delays )
• After a series of delays and setbacks, the project was finally approved.
transnet.ir
3
general::
noun ADJ. considerable, enormous, lengthy, long, major, serious, significant, substantial After a considerable delay, the government has agreed to accept the recommendations. | excessive, inordinate, undue, unnecessary Undue delays have been caused by people not doing their jobs properly. | inevitable, unavoidable | short, slight | unforeseen | frustrating | further | airport, flight, traffic, travel | time There is a five-minute time delay on the bank's safe. QUANT. series After a series of lengthy delays, the case finally came to court. VERB + DELAY be subject to Flights to New York may be subject to delay. | be plagued by, experience, face, suffer Passengers have experienced long delays. The project has been plagued by delays. | cause, lead to The strike has led to some delays in train services. | avoid, prevent, reduce Please address your letters properly so as to reduce delays. | apologize for I apologize for the delay in replying to you. DELAY + VERB occur Travellers complained about lack of information when travel delays occurred. PREP. without ~ Please send him the information without delay. | ~ in delays in getting to the airport | ~ of a delay of several weeks | ~ to further delays to the scheme, verb ADV. seriously, significantly Mellanby's arrival was seriously delayed by a late train. These drugs can significantly delay the onset of the disease. | further | unduly | slightly, somewhat | inevitably, unavoidably | unaccountably | deliberately
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
4
general::
delay
to wait until a later time to do something:
• He decided to delay his decision until he had seen the full report.
postpone
to change an event to a later time or date:
• The meeting was postponed.
put off
to delay doing something. Put off is less formal than delay or postpone , and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
• I used to put off making difficult decisions. • The game has been put off till next week.
hold off
to delay doing something, especially while you are waiting for more information or for something else to happen:
• House buyers seem to be holding off until interest rates drop.
defer
formal to delay doing something until a later date, usually because something else needs to happen first:
• The decision had been deferred until after a meeting of the directors. • She decided to defer her university application for a year so that she could go travelling.
procrastinate
formal to delay doing something that you ought to do:
• Don’t procrastinate – make a start on your assignments as soon as you get them.
Longman-Thesaurus