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
The move follows the company’s 2023 rollout of KManga, a digital serialization app designed to deliver Kodansha titles directly to English-language readers without the traditional lag between Japanese and overseas releases. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025 Final recommendations were delayed The step came after an unusual, unexplained two-week lag between when CDC advisers issued the recommendations and the agency accepted them. Pien Huang, NPR, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
Faster speeds mean less lag and smoother use for multiple devices. Kara McGinley, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025 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
Noun
Despite the advances in AI, Duan concedes that early domestic CAE software lagged behind foreign competitors in several areas. Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2025 The gap between the advancing technology and lagging regulation leaves individuals on their own to navigate an uncertain informational landscape—and to protect themselves from possible fraud and harassment. Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 20 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lag
Adjective
  • Diagonal passes to onrushing full-backs has proven to be another effective route around the high defensive line, as Inter targeted Denzel Dumfries with 14 long balls out to his flank across the two-legged Champions League semi-final tie with Barcelona last season.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • But the tone of those attacks have amped up in recent days, drawing allegations from some Democrats that Cuomo’s campaign is leaning into Islamophobia in the final stretch of the campaign.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Mankinlu Maple Leaf Solar Pathway Lights As daylight starts to fade earlier, these cute pathway lights add both charm and function to your yard.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The Trail Blazers faded in the fourth quarter en route to a 118-114 loss to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • A day earlier, flights were delayed at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, New Jersey’s Newark airport and Washington’s Reagan National Airport because of air traffic controller shortages.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
  • His discharge has been delayed due to his father’s detention.
    Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The threat of mounting risk comes as a hiring slowdown stokes recession fears and inflation proves difficult to fully contain.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Price spikes in everyday goods can foreshadow broader slowdowns, as households pull back spending on non-essentials and retailers adjust inventories.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 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
  • The structures were sagging under the weight of so many books.
    Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The dilapidated wooden trim and sagging porticos were spruced up a few years ago after preservationists complained to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, but the upstairs windows reveal glimpses of peeling paint, crumbling plaster, and collapsing ceilings inside.
    Kim Velsey, Curbed, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • His low cross found Pascal Gross for a tap-in at the far post after Luke Shaw had been dragged central trying to cut off Adam Lallana.
    Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Vader moves the blade, raises it, but the shadow seems to only deepen, the pull of the dark side suddenly stronger, a riptide that threatens to drag him under.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Neighbors expressed hesitation about the plans, citing the noise helicopters would cause, WPBF News 25 and WPTV reported.
    Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Villa had known Elliott was available in the months before, yet the price caused hesitation.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lag. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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