delay the meeting

USAGE SUMMARY

"delay the meeting" is correct and can be used in written English.
You can use it when talking about postponing or pushing back a planned meeting. For example: "We will have to delay the meeting until next week due to the CEO's unexpected absence." "Please delay the meeting by 30 minutes, as the presenter is running behind schedule."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

9 human-written examples

Willamette changed its corporate bylaws to delay the meeting, which was originally scheduled for April.

The New York Times

Avon which is represented by the law firm of Wachtell Lipton might be able to delay the meeting until the end of the year depending upon what annual turns out to mean.

The New York Times

The date for Avon's meeting has not been set, but Avon's last annual meeting was on May 5. Avon's bylaws require that its annual meeting be held in April or May, but the bylaws could be amended and Avon could possibly delay the meeting.

The New York Times

A request from civil-society groups to delay the meeting may have convinced the president that he had a mandate to ditch Mr Diarra, with the help of uniformed friends.The balance of power in the troika that rules the south has shifted.

The Economist

The CFIUS — the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States — has requested that Qualcomm delay the meeting while it reviews Broadcom's moves to try to acquire the company.

TechCrunch

The board continued to delay the meeting, and were now involved in my quest to locate my phone.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

48 human-written examples

But in a surprise announcement last week, it delayed the meeting until next year.

The New York Times

El Paso delayed the meeting to Friday from Tuesday, it said, to let shareholders weigh the ruling by Chancellor Leo E. Strine Jr. of Delaware's Court of Chancery issued last week.

The New York Times

Small shareholders delayed the meeting for 90 minutes but could not prevent the creditors from completing their takeover of the company, which owes them more than $6 billion.

The New York Times

Mr. Qurei delayed the meeting until after the Geneva initiative was signed, in hopes that the publicity would increase pressure on Mr. Sharon, a Palestinian official said.

The New York Times

After she decided on a bid, the broker delayed the meeting where she was going to make the offer by several days, Ms. Cohen said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "delay the meeting", clearly communicate the reason for the delay and provide a new proposed time, if available, to minimize disruption.

Common error

Don't assume all participants are aware of the delay. Always send a formal notification to everyone involved to ensure they are informed.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "delay the meeting" functions as a verb phrase where "delay" is the verb and "the meeting" is the direct object. It indicates the action of postponing a scheduled meeting. Ludwig AI confirms it as correct.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Wiki

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Science

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "delay the meeting" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase, as confirmed by Ludwig, to express the postponement of a scheduled meeting. Predominantly found in News & Media and Wiki contexts, it carries a neutral to professional tone. When using this phrase, clearly state the reason for the delay and provide a new timeframe to ensure clarity. While variations such as "postpone the meeting" or "reschedule the meeting" exist, "delay the meeting" remains a reliable and widely understood choice.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

postpone the meeting

Suggests a more indefinite postponement, implying the meeting might not happen at the originally planned time.

reschedule the meeting

Implies setting a new, specific time for the meeting to occur.

put off the meeting

More informal way to express postponing the meeting to a later time.

defer the meeting

More formal than "delay", suggesting postponement to a future time.

adjourn the meeting

Formally suspend the meeting, usually with the intent to resume it later.

hold off on the meeting

Suggests temporarily suspending plans for the meeting, often due to uncertainty.

move the meeting to a later date

Explicitly specifies changing the meeting to a different, future date.

suspend the meeting

Indicates a temporary halt to the meeting, often due to unforeseen circumstances.

table the meeting

To postpone discussion of a topic indefinitely or to a later time.

call off the meeting

Cancel the meeting entirely, implying it will not be rescheduled.

FAQs

What does "delay the meeting" mean?

The phrase "delay the meeting" means to postpone or reschedule a meeting to a later time or date. It implies that the meeting will still occur, but not at the originally planned time.

What are some reasons to "delay the meeting"?

Meetings might be "delayed" due to unforeseen circumstances such as key participants being unavailable, urgent matters requiring immediate attention, or technical difficulties that prevent the meeting from proceeding as planned.

What can I say instead of "delay the meeting"?

You can use alternatives like "postpone the meeting", "reschedule the meeting", or "put off the meeting" depending on the context.

How formal is the phrase "delay the meeting"?

The phrase "delay the meeting" is considered relatively neutral in formality and can be used in both professional and informal settings, although more formal alternatives like "defer the meeting" might be preferred in certain contexts.