as in stalling
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as in delaying
to be slow or late about doing something that should be done; to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy, etc.
He procrastinated and missed the submission deadline. He told her to stop procrastinating and get to work.
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Recent Examples of procrastinating
Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2026
Nolan, an elections veteran, has sage advice for voters who may be procrastinating at filling out and returning their ballots.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Even among clothing and footwear purveyors that remain unshaken in their promises, nearly two-thirds are procrastinating on their decarbonization schedules, a recent McKinsey study found.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 8 Oct. 2025
Two-thirds of givers admit to procrastinating family wealth-transfer conversations, according to a national RBC Wealth Management survey.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
Now stop procrastinating and go shovel that walkway.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2026
Nolan, an elections veteran, has sage advice for voters who may be procrastinating at filling out and returning their ballots.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Even among clothing and footwear purveyors that remain unshaken in their promises, nearly two-thirds are procrastinating on their decarbonization schedules, a recent McKinsey study found.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 8 Oct. 2025
Two-thirds of givers admit to procrastinating family wealth-transfer conversations, according to a national RBC Wealth Management survey.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for procrastinating
Adjective
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The tense talks continued into a second day but concluded without progress, in a diplomatic effort that seemed little more than another stalling game for Putin.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
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Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows promised swift action and vowed to brook no more stalling tactics from Democrats.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Cold temperatures can make oil thicker, delaying its flow.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
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Bazaldua has argued that the city may save money by having the WNBA team play and practice at existing facilities, as building new ones and delaying the projects increases costs.—
Myah Taylor,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Galahadosuchus represents one of the early ancestors of that lineage, and the evolutionary path from upright sprinter to belly-crawling ambush predator is a long one.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
23 Feb. 2026
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But Baba’s streets were crawling with ICE proxies during his entire childhood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And, through it all, stocks have continued to steadily rise, buoyed by hopes for Fed rate cuts, stronger-than-expected corporate earnings and slowing but stubborn confidence that an AI boom might reap big rewards for investors.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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An Apple Valley man convicted of murder for setting up a Bloomington marijuana deal and then hitting and dragging the seller with his SUV while speeding off with the drug was sentenced to 12½ years in prison Tuesday.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
24 Feb. 2026
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More broadly, Lawson over-relies on staticky textures and bottomless reverb, occasionally washing the songs together and dragging the album under the weight of its vibes.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Procrastinating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/procrastinating. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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