Anticipate a delay, say (5)
I believe the answer is:
await
'anticipate' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'a delay say' is the wordplay.
'delay say' becomes 'wait' (delaying is a kind of waiting).
'a'+'wait'='AWAIT'
(Other definitions for await that I've seen before include "Hid a microphone in; bothered" , "Expect, anticipate" , "Be in expectation of (an event)" , "Look for (something to happen)" , "Look for (future event)" .)