lag 1 of 3

lag

2 of 3

verb

lag

3 of 3

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word lag different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of lag are dally, dawdle, delay, loiter, and procrastinate. While all these words mean "to move or act slowly so as to fall behind," lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

When might dally be a better fit than lag?

Although the words dally and lag have much in common, dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

When is delay a more appropriate choice than lag?

In some situations, the words delay and lag are roughly equivalent. However, delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).

we cannot delay any longer

How do loiter and dawdle relate to one another, in the sense of lag?

Both 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

In what contexts can procrastinate take the place of lag?

While in some cases nearly identical to lag, procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

procrastinates about making decisions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lag
Adjective
With Baja mode activated, the twin-turbo V-6 engages the turbochargers' anti-lag function, and there's negligible delay in the power delivery during the quick on/off throttle sequences common to desert running. David Beard, Car and Driver, 20 June 2022 And some more good news for lovers of the distinctive fusillade produced by the original Impreza rally cars: this one keeps anti-lag, injecting fuel into the turbocharger to keep it spinning off-throttle. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 21 June 2022
Verb
Park attendance lagged over the next several years, largely due to competition from other entertainment venues and more Kansas Citians traveling by automobile to vacation destinations. Jeremy Drouin, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2025 Productivity was lagging even before Brexit, but the rupture with Europe compounded the problem by sowing uncertainty, which chilled private investment. Mark Landler, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
Consider that 78% of U.S. rent payments are still made by paper check—a clear indication of the tech lag among older landlords, many of whom are Baby Boomers. Joseph Edgar, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025 Because of the lag between offers and closings, which is what the NAR data tallies, March sales reflect offers made in January or February. Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lag
Adjective
  • The Yorktown's final resting place wasn't discovered until a 1998 expedition found it about 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Today’s sentence is the culmination of justice, but this is not the final chapter of Kyhara’s life story.
    Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • First, there was a drip-drip-drip of crisis: as costs everywhere rose, city, state, and federal monies faded away once COVID-era bailout efforts came to an end.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2025
  • But when a new Supreme rises, the old one fades away.
    Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The execution was delayed from its anticipated time of 6 p.m. ET as the United States Supreme Court considered Hutchinson's final appeals.
    James Powel, USA Today, 3 May 2025
  • The construction schedule for Brooklyn is already roughly three years beyond that deadline and the timelines for the completion of the others are further delayed.
    Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • Third, the slowdown in China, once luxury’s golden engine.
    Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
  • But the Austin housing market, which had become one of the most overheated in the country, experienced a significant slowdown after the pandemic, with return-to-office orders affecting the number of people relocating to the Texas capital.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The video is the latest in a lengthy stream of controversies the probation department has faced in recent years.
    James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2023
  • The shooting happened the day before the fifth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that killed 17 and is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S.
    Joey Cappelletti and Mike Householder, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • Consumer confidence is sagging as shoppers are fatigued by inflation and the impact of tariffs.
    Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 1 May 2025
  • The continued flouting of production quotas could keep oil prices sagging, even after US President Donald Trump signalled a potential U-turn on his trade war with China.
    Amy Gunia, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The officers then dragged Feliz out of his car, pulling his pants down and exposing his genitals in the process.
    Lourdes Rosado, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2025
  • On the flip side, Jamal Murray dragged the Clippers for 43 points.
    Law Murray, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • After years of hesitation, the national security space community is finally boarding the commercial space train, one that many of us have been pushing for since the early 2000’s.
    Charles Beames, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • This time around, there’s no hesitation for Larsson.
    Tiana DeNicola, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lag. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on lag

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!