time lag

Definition of time lag

: an interval of time between two related phenomena (such as a cause and its effect)

Examples of time lag in a Sentence

There's a time lag between when you see a stop sign and when your foot steps on the brake.

Recent Examples on the Web Josh Geballe, the governor’s chief operating officer, noted the number is likely larger considering there’s a time lag with some of the reporting from Walgreens and CVS, which are running vaccination clinics. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, "Cruise ship docks, Navajo Nation, veterans vaccinated: News from around our 50 states," 30 Dec. 2020 Those figures are especially worrying given the time lag between infection and possible hospitalization and death. — Luke Money, Los Angeles Times, "California has its most coronavirus deaths in a single day as cases, hospitalizations continue to surge," 9 Dec. 2020 Multiple experts described the time lag as extraordinary, even when factoring in the initial difficulties faced by authorities. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, "Leaked documents reveal China's mishandling of the early stages of Covid-19," 30 Nov. 2020 Things are better these days, with an average time lag of only 17 years before research evidence reaches clinical practice. — David Tuller, STAT, "Proposed British guidelines reject useless chronic fatigue syndrome treatments," 17 Nov. 2020 The 24-hour time lag for results to come in further complicates the picture. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "The NFL Learned the Same Lesson as Washington This Week," 4 Oct. 2020 The effect should have been obvious, though with a time lag. — Jay W. Richards, National Review, "Stats Hold a Surprise: Lockdowns May Have Had Little Effect on COVID-19 Spread," 4 Oct. 2020 That doesn’t necessarily mean that no COVID-19 deaths occurred in that time frame, as some deaths are not immediately reported due to a time lag in the submission of a death certificate. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, "Football parties, ‘Twin Peaks’ hotel, ballot rules: News from around our 50 states," 2 Oct. 2020 Various studies have tried to estimate the additional coverage losses this year, but the most authoritative government statistics have a long time lag. — Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar And Jill Colvin, sun-sentinel.com, "Trump promotes health care ‘vision’ ahead of Jacksonville, Miami visits," 24 Sep. 2020

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about time lag

Dictionary Entries near time lag

Statistics for time lag

Last Updated

20 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Time lag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/time%20lag. Accessed 21 Jan. 2021.

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

exact

Listen to the pronunciation of exact

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Words of Snow and Ice Quiz

Which of the following refers to thin, bending ice, or to the act of running over such ice?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Anagram puzzles meet word search.