Transform & Animation

CSS transition-delay Property

Specifies the time to wait before starting a transition effect

Syntax

CSS
transition-delay: <time>;

Values

ValueDescription
0sNo delay (default)
0.1s100ms delay
300ms300ms delay

Example

CSS
.stagger-1 { transition-delay: 0s; }
.stagger-2 { transition-delay: 0.1s; }
.stagger-3 { transition-delay: 0.2s; }

Understanding CSS transition-delay

The CSS transition-delay property specifies the time to wait before starting a transition effect. As part of the Transform & Animation module in CSS, it is one of the most commonly used properties for controlling the visual presentation of web pages.

You can set transition-delay to values such as 0s, 0.1s, 300ms, among others. Each value changes how the browser renders the affected element, giving you fine-grained control over your page layout and design. Choosing the right value depends on the specific design requirements of your project.

Common use cases for the transition-delay property include responsive web design, component-based layouts, and creating visually consistent interfaces across devices. It works closely with related properties like transition, transition-duration, transition-property to achieve complex styling effects. Understanding how these properties interact helps you write cleaner, more maintainable stylesheets.

Browser support for transition-delay is excellent across all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. For older browsers, consider using fallback values or progressive enhancement strategies. The property can also be set dynamically via JavaScript using element.style.transitionDelay or the CSS custom properties (variables) approach for theming.

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