delay
delay — 形容詞
1. not happening or arriving at the planned or expected time, often causing changes
延遲的
比預定時間晚發生的
not happening or arriving at the planned or expected time, often causing changes to later arrangements
The delayed flight from Tokyo finally landed at around two in the morning.
這班從東京延遲的航班終於在凌晨兩點左右降落。
collocation: delayed flight / delayed train
Amara received a delayed payment for her freelance project last month.
Amara 上個月才收到她自由接案項目的延遲付款。
collocation: delayed payment / delayed response
Because of the delayed train, Wei missed the first part of the meeting.
因為延遲的火車，Wei 錯過了會議的前半段。
The children were disappointed about the delayed start of the summer camp.
孩子們對夏令營延遲的開營時間感到失望。
Clara's delayed reply to the job offer meant the company hired someone else.
Clara 延遲的答覆讓公司決定聘用另一個人。
用法筆記
As a participial adjective, 'delayed' is the adjective form of the verb 'delay'. It often appears before nouns describing transport (flight, train, bus), events (start, opening), or communications (response, reply, payment).
常見錯誤
delay — 名詞
1. the general situation or concept of being made to wait or of something being arr
延緩
使某事延後的行為或狀態
the general situation or concept of being made to wait or of something being arranged for a later time, considered as an uncountable state rather than a specific incident
The manager apologized for the delay in sending out the monthly invoices.
經理為延緩寄送每月帳單而道歉。
pattern: delay in + gerund
Any delay in treatment could make the patient's condition much worse.
治療上的任何延緩都可能使病人的情況更加惡化。
Please submit your report without delay — the deadline is this Friday.
請立即提交報告，截止日期是這個星期五。
The construction project faced serious delay because of the bad weather.
由於天氣惡劣，建築工程面臨嚴重的延緩。
Yuna tried to avoid any delay by checking in for her flight online.
Yuna 事先在網上辦理登機手續，以避免任何延緩。
- postponement
more formal; suggests a deliberate decision rather than an unavoidable wait
- hold-up
informal; used for a temporary interruption
- punctuality
the quality of being on time
- promptness
acting without delay
文法句型
delay + in + noun/gerund
without + delay
常見錯誤
2. a specific occasion when someone or something is made to arrive late or start la
耽擱
一次具體的延遲事件
a specific occasion when someone or something is made to arrive late or start later than planned
There was a short delay while the technicians repaired the computer server.
技術人員維修電腦伺服器時出現了短暫的耽擱。
structure: there was/were + (adjective) + delay(s)
The bus driver explained that the delay was due to road construction work.
公車司機解釋說，耽擱是因為道路施工造成的。
After a two-hour delay at the airport, Sofia finally boarded her plane.
在機場耽擱了兩個小時後，Sofia 終於登上了飛機。
Commuters faced long delays on the motorway because of the accident.
由於發生車禍，通勤民眾在高速公路上遇到了長時間的耽擱。
Nadia called her mother to say she would be late because of a delay on the subway.
Nadia 打電話給母親，告訴她因為地鐵耽擱，會晚點到。
文法句型
there + be + delay
delay + to + noun
3. the length of time by which something is late; the duration that passes between
等候期
延遲持續的時間長度
the length of time by which something is late; the duration that passes between the expected time and the actual time of an event or arrival
The delay between ordering and delivery was nearly three weeks.
從下單到送貨之間的等候期將近三個星期。
pattern: delay between X and Y
The delay between the first and second doses should be at least four weeks.
第一劑和第二劑之間的等候期應至少為四週。
pattern: delay of [duration]
A five-second delay on the live broadcast made the interview sound awkward.
現場直播的五秒延遲讓訪談聽起來有些尷尬。
The doctor warned that a delay of more than six hours in treating the wound could lead to infection.
醫生警告說，傷口處理超過六小時的延遲可能導致感染。
Hugo calculated the delay in minutes at each checkpoint along the delivery route.
Hugo 計算了送貨路線每個檢查點的延遲時間（以分鐘計算）。
文法句型
delay + of + duration
delay + between + noun + and + noun
delay — 動詞
1. to choose to do something at a later time instead of the time that was originall
延後
把某事推遲到較晚時間
to choose to do something at a later time instead of the time that was originally planned or expected
The school decided to delay the final exams by one week because of the storm.
學校決定將期末考延後一週，因為暴風雨來襲。
pattern: delay + noun + by + time
Omar delayed booking his flight until he heard back from the company.
Omar 延後訂機票，直到收到公司的回覆。
pattern: delay + gerund
We cannot delay making a decision any longer — the offer expires tomorrow.
我們不能再延後做決定了——錄取通知明天就到期了。
The film studio delayed the movie release to add more visual effects.
電影公司延後了上映日期，以便加入更多視覺特效。
Linh delayed telling her parents about the job offer until she felt ready.
Linh 延後告訴父母關於工作錄取的事，直到她準備好為止。
文法句型
delay + noun
delay + -ing
be delayed
用法筆記
Often used with 'until' to specify the new time, or 'by' to indicate the length of the postponement.
常見錯誤
2. to cause someone or something to remain in one place or situation longer than in
耽誤
使某人或某物停留超出預期
to cause someone or something to remain in one place or situation longer than intended
The immigration officer delayed the travelers at the border for almost two hours.
移民官在邊境耽誤了旅客將近兩個小時。
passive: be delayed at [place]
Heavy traffic delayed the delivery driver on her morning route through the city.
嚴重的交通堵塞耽誤了送貨司機早上的行程。
collocation: delayed by traffic
The teacher delayed the students after class to discuss their homework.
老師在下課後留下學生，跟他們討論功課。
A mechanical fault delayed the train for about twenty minutes near the station.
機械故障讓火車在車站附近耽誤了大約二十分鐘。
An urgent phone call delayed Diego's departure from the office by nearly an hour.
一通緊急電話讓 Diego 耽誤了將近一個小時才離開辦公室。
- release
to allow someone to leave
文法句型
delay + noun
be delayed + by + noun
be delayed + for + time
3. to make a process, activity, or movement happen at a lower speed than usual or e
減緩
使過程比正常速度慢
to make a process, activity, or movement happen at a lower speed than usual or expected
The snowstorm delayed the construction work on the new bridge by several days.
暴風雪使新橋的施工工程減緩了好幾天。
passive: be delayed by [external factor]
A software error delayed the shipping process from the central warehouse.
一個軟體錯誤減緩了中央倉庫的出貨流程。
The patient's recovery was delayed by a secondary lung infection.
病人的康復因續發性肺部感染而減緩。
Bad weather delayed the rescue team's progress through the mountain pass.
惡劣天氣減緩了救援隊穿越山隘的進度。
These new safety checks could delay the approval of the medicine by months.
這些新的安全檢查可能將該藥物的核准減緩數個月。
- speed up
to make something go faster
- accelerate
to increase speed
文法句型
delay + noun
be delayed + by + noun
noun + delay(s)
4. to move or do things at a slow pace, especially when others are waiting or when
拖延
動作緩慢，浪費時間
to move or do things at a slow pace, especially when others are waiting or when there is a time limit
The tour group delayed so long over souvenirs that they missed the guided museum tour.
旅遊團在紀念品店耽擱太久，錯過了博物館的導覽。
pattern: delayed so long over [activity]
Kwame delayed over packing his schoolbag and got to class just as the bell rang.
Kwame 在整理書包時拖延時間，直到上課鈴響才進教室。
pattern: delayed over [activity/task]
If you delay too long at the checkout counter, you will miss the last bus home.
如果你在收銀檯前拖太久，就會錯過最後一班公車回家。
Elena delayed so long over breakfast that she missed the express train to Taipei.
Elena 早餐吃得很慢，結果錯過了開往台北的快車。
The children delayed so long on their way to school, watching ducks in the park pond.
孩子們在上學路上拖了很久，因為在公園池塘邊看鴨子。
- dawdle
more common for this sense; suggests wasting time on purpose
- linger
suggests staying in a place because you enjoy it, not necessarily causing lateness
- procrastinate
specifically about putting off tasks that need to be done
- hurry
to move or act quickly
文法句型
delay + adverbial