"delay" vs "delayed"

Question

"delay" vs "delayed"

Both 'delay' and 'delayed' are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Delay' is a verb that means to postpone or put off, while 'delayed' is the past tense or past participle form of the verb 'delay'. The choice between the two depends on whether you are referring to the action of postponing something or describing something that has already been postponed.

Last Updated: March 27, 2024

Use 'delay' when you want to refer to the action of postponing something. For example, 'We need to delay the meeting until next week.'

Examples:

Please don't delay your decision any longer.
The flight was delayed due to bad weather.
They decided to delay the project until they had more information.
The train was delayed by an hour.
We can't afford to delay any further.

Alternatives:

postpone
put off
hold off
defer
procrastinate

Use 'delayed' when you want to describe something that has already been postponed. For example, 'The flight was delayed by two hours.'

Examples:

The train was delayed due to signal failure.
The delivery of the package was delayed by a day.
The project was delayed because of budget constraints.
She was delayed in traffic and arrived late.
The start of the event was delayed by technical issues.

Alternatives:

postponed
held off
deferred
procrastinated

Answer 1

delay

The word 'delay' is a verb that means to postpone or put off.

Answer 2

delayed

The word 'delayed' is the past tense or past participle form of the verb 'delay'.

"delay" vs "delayed"

delay

delayed

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