broadcast delay

noun

A very brief postponement, achieved by technical means, often used in the public broadcasting of live radio or television programs in order to provide sufficient time to edit out undesired content, such as profanity or coughing.

Similar
profanity delaytape delay
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounbroadcast delay (countable and uncountable, plural broadcast delays)

plural broadcast delays

  1. countableuncountablebroadcastingA very brief postponement, achieved by technical means, often used in the public broadcasting of live radio or television programs in order to provide sufficient time to edit out undesired content, such as profanity or coughing.

    Some networks have started using a broadcast delay on live programs to catch any offensive material before it aired.

    2005 January 21, Jeremy Pelofsky, “FCC chairman Powell says he'll resign in March”, in USA Today, retrieved 24 Feb 2009

    Synonyms: profanity delay, tape delay

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA very brief postponement, achieved by technical means, often used in the public broadcasting of live radio or television programs in order to provide sufficient time to edit out undesired content, such as profanity or coughing.

Similar
profanity delaytape delay
Also see
profanity delaytape delay
Cite this entry
APA

broadcast delay. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broadcast%20delay

MLA

“broadcast delay.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broadcast%20delay. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “broadcast delay,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broadcast%20delay.

Source: broadcast delay on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.