1de·lay 
/dɪˈleɪ/ noun
plural de·lays /dɪˈleɪ/ noun 1 : a situation in which something happens later than it should [count] ▪ Do you know what's causing the delay? ▪ The nurse apologized for the delay [=wait] and said that the doctor would be in shortly. ▪ a number of flight delays [noncount] ▪ After months of delay, construction on the new school began. ▪ The roof must be repaired without delay. [=immediately] 2 [count] : the amount of time that you must wait for something that is late
▪ Airline travelers are experiencing delays of up to three hours.
▪ Airline travelers are experiencing delays of up to three hours.
