← Back to Fala2Me

delay

[/dɪˈleɪ/]
noun/verbpl: delays
atraso
1. (noun) A period of time by which something is postponed or remains incomplete
There was a delay of two hours on the flight.
Houve um atraso de duas horas no voo.
2. (verb) To postpone or put off to a later time
The meeting was delayed until next week.
A reunião foi adiada para a semana que vem.
3. (verb) To cause someone or something to be late or slow
Heavy traffic delayed us for an hour.
O trânsito intenso nos atrasou por uma hora.
4. (noun) The act of delaying; procrastination
Without delay, we must act immediately.
Sem demora, devemos agir imediatamente.
Synonyms
postponedeferprocrastinatehold upslow down
Antonyms
hurryaccelerateexpediteadvance

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
atraso
Most common usage in Brazil
Brazil
demora
Also used colloquially for delay
Portugal
atraso
Standard usage in Portugal
Portugal
demora
Alternative, more informal usage

Related Idioms & Phrases

without delay - sem demora/sem atraso
delay of game - atraso do jogo (sports context)
in a delayed manner - de forma atrasada
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →