lag 1 of 3

lag

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verb

lag

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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
Above all: an apparent serious lag behind competitors incorporating AI into products and services. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 12 July 2025 With a shortage of top prospects and a lag in analytics, the Rockies are having to rush some of their best prospects due to the team’s needs at the major league level. Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 12 July 2025
Verb
With Baja mode activated, the twin-turbo V-6 engages the turbochargers' anti-lag function, and there's negligible delay in the power delivery during the quick on/off throttle sequences common to desert running. David Beard, Car and Driver, 20 June 2022 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
The same site even takes some shots at AT&T and Verizon, claiming both carriers are lagging behind on their own satellite capabilities. PC Magazine, 23 July 2025 Access to clean cooking equipment in sub-Saharan Africa continues to lag behind other regions, with four in five people using wood, charcoal, or dung as fuel over open fires or using basic stoves, according to an International Energy Agency report. Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 23 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for lag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lag
Adjective
  • Making it to the final round, Shell Shock'd was up against Tacos Wuey Detroit and a newcomer that recently opened in southwest Detroit.
    Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 29 July 2025
  • Dillon, a surprise championship round entrant after making the field as the 32nd and final driver, finished 28th.
    Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025
Verb
  • Just after the clock struck midnight as Thursday night faded into Friday morning, the Texas House morphed into something of a graveyard.
    John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • As teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians have faded, the Rangers have surged.
    Sam Blum, New York Times, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • However, rocket launches can often be delayed due to poor weather or issues with the spacecraft.
    Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
  • South Park's season 27 premiere was delayed and ultimately moved from Comedy Central to Paramount+ amid parent company Paramount's pending merger with Skydance.
    Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 25 July 2025
Noun
  • In its half-year results, released last week, French rival Lagardère Travel Retail also noted that the air traffic slowdown in the U.S. had negatively impacted revenue there by 1%.
    Kevin Rozario, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
  • To be sure, with the Club having a position in both companies, Azure’s recent acceleration is encouraging — and at the same time, concerns about the slowdown in AWS’s growth rate are overblown.
    Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
Verb
  • This reaction forms harmful compounds known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which can damage collagen fibers and potentially promote wrinkles and sagging skin.8 5.
    Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 25 July 2025
  • Unlike cheaper chairs at this price point (even the Snow Peak!), the mesh lets air flow through and conforms to your body without soaking or sagging.
    Chris Haslam, Wired News, 16 July 2025
Verb
  • Pitmaster Roy Perez ceremoniously dragged a metal tub of hot coals up Commerce Street to transfer the fire from the old pits to the new ones.
    Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 23 July 2025
  • The season ends with Sophie dragging Kyle’s body through the woods and to the edge of a cliff, dropping it in the water below.
    Melissa Locker, Time, 23 July 2025
Noun
  • Music can reduce hesitation in emergencies by providing a familiar and structured rhythm.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2025
  • Still, the key to first-person address, as that great Renaissance master Michel de Montaigne understood, is not to subtract complication but to supply it, registering doubt, hesitation, and irony even while developing an argument.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 28 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lag. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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