procrastinate

verb

pro·​cras·​ti·​nate prə-ˈkra-stə-ˌnāt How to pronounce procrastinate (audio)
prō-
procrastinated; procrastinating

transitive verb

: to put off intentionally and habitually

intransitive verb

: to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done
procrastination noun
procrastinator noun

Did you know?

We won't put off telling you about out the origins of procrastinate: it comes from the Latin prefix pro-, meaning "forward," and crastinus, "of tomorrow." The word means moving or acting slowly so as to fall behind, and it implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

Choose the Right Synonym for procrastinate

delay, procrastinate, lag, loiter, dawdle, dally mean to move or act slowly so as to fall behind.

delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).

we cannot delay any longer

procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

procrastinates about making decisions

lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

loiter and dawdle imply delay while in progress, especially in walking, but dawdle more clearly suggests an aimless wasting of time.

loitered at several store windows
children dawdling on their way home from school

dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

Examples of procrastinate in a Sentence

He procrastinated and missed the submission deadline. He told her to stop procrastinating and get to work.
Recent Examples on the Web Change begins with you this year, so don’t procrastinate or wait for someone else to steal your idea. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 One study states people who are guilty of sleep procrastination are also likely to procrastinate doing other responsibilities in their life, like homework or chores. Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024 His long record in politics and frequent flip-flops on strategy incline him to procrastinate and muddle through. Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 The smartest thing any traveler can do to get the most out of their vacation next year: Don’t procrastinate. Allison Pohle, WSJ, 28 Dec. 2023 The two weeks after Black Friday weekend tend to be a dip in holiday spending, as the shoppers who came out during that weekend regroup and the procrastinating shoppers who did not begin to feel anxious or maybe slightly panicked about their holiday shopping lists. Nikki Baird, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023 Black Friday is here, and this is great news for all of us who typically procrastinate buying holiday gifts until the last-minute because now we get rewarded with some good deals for shopping early. Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 24 Nov. 2023 In my experience, after choosing my items and placing my order, my package has been delivered in less than two days, and as someone who tends to procrastinate, Nuuly is perfect for last-minute styling. Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2023 Kate Hudson is just like so many of us — procrastinating work by being on TikTok. Taylor Jean Stephan, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'procrastinate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin procrastinatus, past participle of procrastinare, from pro- forward + crastinus of tomorrow, from cras tomorrow

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of procrastinate was in 1588

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near procrastinate

Cite this Entry

“Procrastinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/procrastinate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

procrastinate

verb
pro·​cras·​ti·​nate p(r)ə-ˈkras-tə-ˌnāt How to pronounce procrastinate (audio)
prō-
procrastinated; procrastinating
: to keep putting off something that should be done
procrastination noun
procrastinator noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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