procrastinate

verb

pro·cras·ti·nate | \ prə-ˈkra-stə-ˌnāt

, prō-\

procrastinated; procrastinating

Definition of procrastinate

transitive verb

: to put off intentionally and habitually

intransitive verb

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

Other Words from procrastinate Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about procrastinate

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Other Words from procrastinate

procrastination \ prə-ˌkra-stə-ˈnā-shən

, prō- \ noun

procrastinator \ prə-ˈkra-stə-ˌnā-tər

, prō- \ noun

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

Your likelihood of procrastinating should go way down. — Brooke Kosofsky Glassberg, Good Housekeeping, "This 30-Day Self-Care Challenge Will Help Busy Moms Slow Down," 11 Sep. 2019 But don’t procrastinate on this drink either: the S’mores Frappuccino will disappear from Starbucks stores at summer’s end. — Hannah Chubb, PEOPLE.com, "Starbucks Adds Colorful Tie-Dye Frappuccino to Its Menu for 'a Few Days'," 10 July 2019 Looking at the scant details of his life and his penchant to procrastinate and abandon artworks, two neuroscientists have presented a possible reason for Leonardo’s behavior in the journal Brain. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "New Study Suggests Leonardo da Vinci Had A.D.H.D.," 5 June 2019 Or maybe procrastinate your responsibilities a little bit. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "11 TV Shows and Movies to Watch While You Procrastinate Work This Week," 5 May 2019 More like new year, tons of new television to watch while procrastinating and ignoring the outside world. — Marilyn La Jeunesse, Teen Vogue, "Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2019," 27 Dec. 2018 Paying off debt An estimated 26% of Americans are procrastinating on paying off debt. — Maurie Backman, USA TODAY, "The top 5 money matters Americans procrastinate on," 10 Apr. 2018 Paying only the credit-card minimum This is among the worst financial behaviors on which to procrastinate. — Russ Wiles, USA TODAY, "Financial procrastination: 4 things to avoid and how to do it," 8 Apr. 2018 But, of course, voters tend to procrastinate until the last minute, meaning elections offices usually get a huge pile of new ballots dumped on them on election night (and in some states, afterward) that suddenly have to be verified. — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "It could take days — or weeks — to find out which party won Congress," 6 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'procrastinate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for procrastinate

Last Updated

22 Sep 2019

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Time Traveler for procrastinate

The first known use of procrastinate was in 1588

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More Definitions for procrastinate

procrastinate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of procrastinate

: to be slow or late about doing something that should be done : to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy, etc.

See the full definition for procrastinate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

procrastinate

verb

pro·cras·ti·nate | \ prə-ˈkra-stə-ˌnāt

procrastinated; procrastinating