De·lay, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Delayed p. pr. & vb. n. Delaying.]
1. To put off; to defer; to procrastinate; to prolong the time of or before.
My lord delayeth his coming. --Matt. xxiv. 48.
2. To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time; to retard the motion, or time of arrival, of; as, the mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow.
Thyrsis! whose artful strains have oft delayed
The huddling brook to hear his madrigal. --Milton.
3. To allay; to temper. [Obs.]
The watery showers delay the raging wind. --Surrey.