procrastinate

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of procrastinate are dally, dawdle, delay, lag, and loiter. While all these words mean "to move or act slowly so as to fall behind," procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

procrastinates about making decisions

When could dally be used to replace procrastinate?

While the synonyms dally and procrastinate are close in meaning, dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

When might delay be a better fit than procrastinate?

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

we cannot delay any longer

When can lag be used instead of procrastinate?

While in some cases nearly identical to procrastinate, lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

How are the words loiter and dawdle related as synonyms of procrastinate?

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

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 procrastinate Plus most of these ship quickly, meaning ample time for procrastinating wedding guests to get their gift in on time. Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, 25 Aug. 2025 We're constantly told to make the most of our time, to work harder, to stop procrastinating. Joseph Jebelli, CNBC, 23 July 2025 Denying or waiting for quantum’s approach also means a smaller and smaller market share for those who procrastinate. Jordan Rackie, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025 Mother's Day brunch guide For the love of everything, friends, don't procrastinate and take a chance on feeding your mom a subpar meal on the very holiday that celebrates her wonderfulness. Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for procrastinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for procrastinate
Verb
  • In recent years, some Wyandotte residents have tried to get the government to delay or cancel its tax sales, which usually happen twice a year, to prevent people who have struggled to pay sky-rocketing property tax bills from losing their family homes.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The continued closure of the Rafah crossing is preventing delivery of equipment needed to find dead hostages and will therefore delay recovery efforts, Hamas said, according to Reuters.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But once again, the Bills’ offense stalled as the Falcons continued to come up with stops.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
  • About 47% are setting back their dream vacations and travel, 31% are stalling on home renovations, 26% are delaying buying or leasing a new car, and 17% are pushing back buying a new house.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The innovation could pave the way for medical tools that move through the body’s arteries or inspection devices that crawl into complex machinery.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Over three hours, small groups navigate a challenging underground world, scrambling over boulders, belly-crawling through narrow passages, and squeezing through tight spaces to discover hidden marble wonders.
    Heide Brandes, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • These robots grow from their tip by turning their skin inside out, a mechanism that enables them to advance without dragging against their surroundings.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
  • But the movie’s soft-hearted underbelly fails to support that reading, and by the time the story finally arrives at its final moments, the unsparing cynicism that supplied its initial lift has been dragged back down to Earth by the weight of bland truisms.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Procrastinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/procrastinate. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

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