delaying action

noun

, Military.

1. a maneuver in which a defensive force delays the advance of a superior enemy force by withdrawing while inflicting the maximum destruction possible without engaging in decisive combat.

delaying action

noun

1. a measure or measures taken to gain time, as when weaker military forces harass the advance of a superior enemy without coming to a pitched battle

Example Sentences

The walkouts lasted weeks, delaying action on hundreds of bills.

From New York Times

The agency categorized reports alleging significant health and safety risks to a disabled elder as a low priority level for review, thus delaying action, and also didn’t act quick enough to protect a vulnerable adult, the report said.

From Seattle Times

In a world filled with sub-global groups, cultural evolution among these groups will tend to solve the wrong problems, benefitting the interests of nations and corporations and delaying action on shared priorities.

From Science Daily

"I was put into mediation twice, once on fairly minor grounds and secondly with Lucy Letby herself and it seems to be a way of delaying action and investigating those concerns," he said.

From BBC

The consensus was that "the cost of delaying action was larger than the benefit of waiting," the BoC said.

From Reuters