lag 1 of 3

lag

2 of 3

verb

lag

3 of 3

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

Examples of lag in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Verb
However, that still lags the Nasdaq’s 23% increase. Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2024 The Roomba Combo Essential performed well on hardwood too, even though its numbers lagged slightly behind, with 91.45% of rice and 91.70% of sand pickup. PCMAG, 28 Oct. 2024
Noun
BenQ Folks who prefer cabling to a media source can do so over HDMI 2.1, which not only offers audio return for integration into a home theater setup but also an automatic low-latency mode for the promise of smooth big-screen console gaming (input lag at 4K/60Hz is 17.9 ms). Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2024 The Paperwhite has 25 percent faster page turns to reduce lag while scrolling. Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lag 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near lag

Cite this Entry

“Lag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lag. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on lag

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!