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relay

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A race between teams.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

reelay

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɹileɪ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. sports

    A race between teams; each member runs or swims part of the distance

  2. sports

    A competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action.

  3. athletics

    A track and field discipline where runners take turns in carrying a baton from start to finish. The most common events are 4×100 meter and 4×400 meter competitions.

  4. electronics

    An electrical actuator that allows a relatively small electrical voltage or current to control a larger voltage or current.

  5. by extension

    A new set of anything.

  6. A fresh team to relieve weary draft animals

verb

  1. Pass along

    “Please relay the news to the villagers.”

  2. transitive

    To pass on or transfer (information).

  3. To lay (for example, flooring or railroad track) again.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A race between teams; each member runs or swims part of the distance

Used this way, relay is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a sporting use: familiar to anyone who follows the game, and puzzling to anyone who does not.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Where it naturally appears

  • Sports
  • News/reporting
  • Everyday conversation

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use relay

  • “Please relay the news to the villagers.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

frame relayrelay stationradio relayrelay racerelay systeminternet relayrelay chatrelay team

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • relay linknounCompound term

    An amplifier for restoring the strength of a transmitted signal.

  • relay racenounCompound term

    A race between teams.

  • relay stationnounCompound term

    An amplifier for restoring the strength of a transmitted signal.

  • relay transmitternounCompound term

    An amplifier for restoring the strength of a transmitted signal.

  • electrical relaynounCompound term

    Electrical device such that current flowing through it in one circuit can switch on and off a current in a second circuit.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.