1
as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
during the fourth quarter the whole team seemed to lag
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delayed
to move or act slowly
the tired puppy was lagging behind the rest of the pack
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lagged
But as the appreciation lagged, as the vote counts dwindled, a moment of reckoning has arrived, or, more to the point, a moment of recognition.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
After years of reports detailing how California’s public schools badly lagged those in poor Southern states in teaching kids how to read — especially Mississippi, the poorest state in the nation — the Legislature finally embraced phonics in 2025.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
Such usage rates are concerning because interceptor production has historically lagged behind operational demand.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
Combating drones has focused largely on expensive countermeasures such as lasers, while base infrastructure has lagged behind.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Duke, meanwhile, lagged behind.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 2 Mar. 2026
As Claude seized the top spot, ChatGPT fell to second, and Google’s Gemini lagged behind in fourth place on the App Store.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
The only cultural category where Austin lagged slightly was museums, with a score of 22.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
Kentucky's building codes for energy efficiency are outdated, and adoption of solar and other renewable energy sources has lagged behind other states.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Feb. 2026
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
After years of reports detailing how California’s public schools badly lagged those in poor Southern states in teaching kids how to read — especially Mississippi, the poorest state in the nation — the Legislature finally embraced phonics in 2025.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
Such usage rates are concerning because interceptor production has historically lagged behind operational demand.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
Combating drones has focused largely on expensive countermeasures such as lasers, while base infrastructure has lagged behind.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Duke, meanwhile, lagged behind.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 2 Mar. 2026
As Claude seized the top spot, ChatGPT fell to second, and Google’s Gemini lagged behind in fourth place on the App Store.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
The only cultural category where Austin lagged slightly was museums, with a score of 22.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
Kentucky's building codes for energy efficiency are outdated, and adoption of solar and other renewable energy sources has lagged behind other states.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lagged
Verb
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Charlotte has long embraced Lang Van as a go-to for Vietnamese comfort food, and the comment section proved that reputation hasn’t faded.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The walls are cracked, and their whitewash has faded to gray.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Chicago O’Hare issued a ground stop on Tuesday night due to thunderstorms, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, with flight departures delayed an average of 15 minutes and increasing.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The probe was delayed from 2022, and headed for the asteroid Psyche, using a Mars-gravity assist and not arriving until August 2029.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The lower target follows a yearslong property sector slump that sent home prices tumbling, weakened domestic consumption and investment confidence and led to massive job losses.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
But Bradost said that the Kurdish parties were open to working with most Iranian political forces—just not the Islamic Republic, which is now too weakened to be a partner, or Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran, who has been publicly hostile to the Kurdish parties.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The boxwork investigation has already reshaped scientists’ understanding of how long water — and the possibility of life — may have lingered on Mars.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
-
If water lingered longer than scientists thought, the conditions for microbial life may have persisted longer too.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More than a half dozen homes were deemed unsafe as nearby roads and sidewalks sagged.—
Nick Caloway,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The first shot was a 3-pointer courtesy of James – to take a 107-106 lead – who found the 6-foot-3 shooting guard alone in the corner as Mathurin sagged away from the guard who had yet to attempt a shot.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Instead, much of Iraq rose up to expel US ground forces, and the war dragged on for eight years.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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The snake had dragged him roughly 30 feet from where their wrestling match began.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With Powell missing his third straight game because of a strained right groin, the Heat went with the starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Herro, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins and Adebayo for the third consecutive game.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
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The video immediately went viral, with many questioning why the city shut down what appeared to be a calm event.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The animal had crawled into a drain pipe during a cold snap and could not turn around to escape.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
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As seen on video from the scene, traffic crawled along the expressway as smoke billowed from the cars and firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.—
Asal Rezaei,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lagged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lagged. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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