because of the delay

USAGE SUMMARY

"because of the delay" is correct and commonly used in written English.
You can use it to explain the reason for a delay or to introduce a consequence of a delay. Example: The flight was delayed because of bad weather, so I missed my connecting flight to London.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Amazon is no longer taking orders because of the delay.

The New York Times

"Now I might lose another because of the delay".

The New York Times

Salomon Smith Barney downgraded Interpublic from "buy" to "neutral" because of the delay.

The Guardian

But Ms. Bates said she might have to postpone the concerts because of the delay.

The New York Times

The deal has been made potentially richer because of the delay.

The New York Times

The town has lost opportunities for state and federal grants because of the delay.

The New York Times

Davies said a further investigation would be unfair because of the delay involved.

The Guardian

"Because of the delay, maybe we have more positives than negatives," Rongen said.

The New York Times - Sports

But because of the delay at halftime, sitting around, that's when it tightened up.

The New York Times - Sports

Because of the delay, any new government will have to operate on a tight timetable.

The New York Times

By this time the couple had cancelled their US wedding plans because of the delay.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Vary your sentence structure. While "because of the delay" is perfectly acceptable, consider using alternatives like "due to the delay" or "as a result of the delay" to avoid repetition and add nuance to your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "because of the delay" when the delay is not the direct cause but merely a contributing factor. Ensure a clear causal link between the delay and the stated outcome to maintain accuracy.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "because of the delay" functions as an adverbial phrase, specifically a causal adjunct. It modifies a clause by providing the reason or cause for the action or state described in that clause. Ludwig AI confirms its correct and frequent usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

47%

Science

24%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Wiki

2%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "because of the delay" functions as a causal connector, explaining the reasons behind an event stemming from a postponement. Ludwig AI attests to its correctness and widespread usage. With a neutral register, it fits diverse contexts—from news reports and scientific publications to everyday conversation. It is vital to ensure that the delay is the direct cause of the effect you are describing. While alternatives such as "due to the delay" or "owing to the delay" are available, "because of the delay" remains a versatile and frequently employed choice.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

owing to the delay

Replaces "because of" with "owing to", maintaining the causal relationship. It's a more formal alternative.

due to the delay

Substitutes "because of" with "due to", preserving the meaning and creating a slightly more formal tone.

as a result of the delay

Rephrases the causal link using "as a result of", emphasizing the consequence of the delay.

consequently, due to the delay

Adds "consequently" to emphasize the consequence, making the relationship more explicit.

the delay caused

Restructures the sentence to highlight the delay as the direct cause.

the delay resulted in

Similar to "the delay caused", but emphasizes the outcome or result.

attributable to the delay

Uses "attributable to" to indicate that the effect can be traced back to the delay.

the reason for this is the delay

Inverts the sentence structure to focus on identifying the delay as the reason.

the delay is the cause of

Directly states that the delay is the cause, changing the sentence structure.

stemming from the delay

Indicates that the situation originated or developed from the delay.

FAQs

How can I use "because of the delay" in a sentence?

"Because of the delay" is used to show how something is affected by a delay. For example, "Because of the delay, the project's deadline was extended."

What are some alternatives to "because of the delay"?

Alternatives include "due to the delay", "owing to the delay", or "as a result of the delay", which all express a similar causal relationship.

Is it correct to say "due to delay" instead of "because of the delay"?

While both are generally acceptable, "due to the delay" is often considered more formal. "Because of the delay" is more commonly used in everyday speech.

What's the difference between "because of the delay" and "because the delay"?

"Because of the delay" is followed by a noun phrase (the delay), while "because the delay" is followed by a clause with a verb (e.g., "because the delay was significant").