Delay
Delay noun - An instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business.
Usage example: there was a delay for our boarding while the airplane unloaded incoming passengers
Holding pattern and delay are semantically related. in deferment topic. In some cases you can use "Holding pattern" instead a noun "Delay".
Holding pattern
Holding pattern noun - An instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business.
Usage example: the couple has been trapped in this holding pattern for six months, as adoption officials create more red tape
Delay and holding pattern are semantically related. You can use "Delay" instead a noun phrase "Holding pattern".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- check and delay
- check and holding pattern
- reprieve and delay
- reprieve and holding pattern
- stall and delay
- stall and holding pattern
- obstruction and delay
- obstruction and holding pattern
- impediment and delay
- impediment and holding pattern
- stop and delay
- stop and holding pattern
- stay and delay
- stay and holding pattern
Both terms in one sentence
- Poor Communication Kills: In "Deadly Delay" miscommunications about Avianca Flight 52's fuel status led to it being kept in a holding pattern instead of given immediate clearance to land.
Source: Series / Air Crash Investigation
Cite this Source
Holding pattern and Delay. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/delay/holding_pattern
Delay & Holding pattern. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/delay/holding_pattern>.
Holding pattern or Delay. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/delay/holding_pattern.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "delay" and "holding pattern" have occurred on timeline