delaying action

noun Military.

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.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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World English Dictionary

delaying action

—n
	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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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