as in to delay
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 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
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
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Production began in early 2024 after being delayed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
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Trump has frequently used tariffs as part of foreign policy negotiations in his second term, but many of them were reduced or delayed.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2019, both clubs announced plans to build a new 60,000-seat stadium, though the project stalled due to political opposition and Italy’s heritage regulations, which safeguard historic structures.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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But then, the decrease in the smoking rate stalled.—
Dr. Tom Frieden,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Textured toys overhead amuse babies on their backs while musical toys entertain during tummy time and when learning to crawl.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
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Teams have for days meticulously tunneled under the rubble, crawling on their hands and knees searching for signs of life, knowing the unstable structure could again buckle upon them.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With marker John McGinn behind him, the midfielder attempted to drag the ball back and evade the challenge.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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If the shutdown drags on for more than a few days, a report on inflation scheduled for mid-October could also be delayed.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Procrastinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/procrastinate. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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