procrastinate

1 of 2

verb

pro·​cras·​ti·​nate prə-ˈkra-stə-ˌnāt 

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

prə-ˌkra-stə-ˈnā-shən 

prō-

noun

procrastinator

prə-ˈkra-stə-ˌnā-tər 

prō-

noun

procrastination

2 of 2

noun

pro·​cras·​ti·​na·​tion

plural -s

: the action, habit, or characteristic of procrastinating

was infuriated by their constant procrastination

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, meaning "of tomorrow." To procrastinate is to work or move slowly so as to fall behind; it implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy. English has other words with similar meanings, such as defer and postpone, but none places the blame so directly on the person responsible for choosing a later time to do something. Procrastinate is also a malleable word: English speakers have wasted no time creating clever variations, most of them delightfully self-explanatory. Don't let coinages like procrastibake, procrastinetflix, and procrasticlean pass you by; they may not meet our criteria for entry into the dictionary, but their potentials for use are undeniable.

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

Verb

He procrastinated and missed the submission deadline.

He told her to stop procrastinating and get to work.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Prioritizing tasks also is important since the social aspect of admin dates can become an excuse to procrastinate. — ABC News, 3 June 2026

Natomas resident Sarah Arizaga, 46, wasn’t familiar with all of the candidates, so procrastinated on submitting her ballot until the final day. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026

Travelers who procrastinated securing their summer getaway plane tickets might blanch after a glance at airfare costs. — Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 20 May 2026

Unfortunately, according to Schreiber, Congress is likely to continue to procrastinate. — Elliot Raphaelson, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Latin procrastination-, procrastinatio, from procrastinatus + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1588, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for procrastinate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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Kids Definition

procrastinate

verb

pro·​cras·​ti·​nate p(r)ə-ˈkras-tə-ˌnāt 

prō-

procrastinated; procrastinating

: to keep putting off something that should be done

procrastination

-ˌkras-tə-ˈnā-shən 

noun

procrastinator

-ˈkras-tə-ˌnāt-ər 

noun