lag

[ lag ]

/ læg /

verb (used without object), lagged, lag·ging.

to fail to maintain a desired pace or to keep up; fall or stay behind: After five minutes of hard running, some of them began to lag.

to move or develop slowly, as toward a goal or objective, or in relation to an associated factor (often followed by behind): to lag behind in production.

to delay or fail in reaching full development: The factory lags regularly in making its quota.

to hang back; linger; delay: The old friends lagged because they wanted to talk some more.

to decrease, wane, or flag gradually, as in intensity: Interest lagged as the meeting went on.

Marbles. to throw one's shooting marble toward a line (lag line) on the ground in order to decide on the order of play.

Billiards, Pool. string(def 17b).

verb (used with object), lagged, lag·ging.

to fail to keep up with: The industry still lags the national economy.

Obsolete. to cause to lag.

noun

a lagging or falling behind; retardation.

a person who lags behind, is the last to arrive, etc.

an interval or lapse of time: There was a developmental lag in the diffusion of ideas.

Mechanics. the amount of retardation of some motion.

Electricity. the retardation of one alternating quantity, as current, with respect to another related alternating quantity, as voltage, often expressed in degrees.

Marbles, Billiards. the act of lagging.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

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Origin of lag

1505–15; < Scandinavian: compare Norwegian lagga to go slowly

SYNONYMS FOR lag

1 loiter, linger.

10 slowing, slowdown.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR lag ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR lag

1 hasten.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR lag ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby lag

lafora body, lafora body disease, lafora's disease, laforgue, lafta, lag, lag b'omer, lag correlation, lag line, lag screw, lag-screw

Definition for lag (2 of 3)

lag²

[ lag ]

/ læg /

Chiefly British Slang.

verb (used with object), lagged, lag·ging.

to send to penal servitude; imprison.

noun

a convict or ex-convict.

a period or term of penal servitude; prison sentence.

Origin of lag

First recorded in 1565–75; origin uncertain

Definition for lag (3 of 3)

lag³

[ lag ]

/ læg /

noun

one of the staves or strips that form the periphery of a wooden drum, the casing of a steam cylinder, or the like.

Masonry. a crosspiece between ribs in a centering.

verb (used with object), lagged, lag·ging.

to line or cover (an excavation) with lagging.

to cover with insulation, as a steam boiler, to prevent radiation of heat.

Origin of lag

1665–75; < Scandinavian; compare Swedish lagg stave

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lag

Why does the U.S. lag behind our peers when it comes to educating our students?
Why the World Is Smarter Than Us|Dana Goldstein|August 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The lag in jobs has been matched by a lack of new investments.
The Sprawling, Dimming Age of Obama|Lloyd Green|June 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There was some lag time in the middle because of Hurricane Iniki.
‘Jurassic Park’ Turns 20: Film Memories With Ariana Richards|Anna Klassen|April 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Women of color report median incomes that lag even further behind.
Census Data Reveals Elder Women’s Poverty Crisis|Leslie Bennetts|March 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

But outside Washington spin rooms, a question emerges: is a 1,000-day lag since the last budget such a terrible thing?
Does Congress’s Budget Delay Actually Matter?|Daniel Stone|February 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Asitunan lag diyútay ug mahuswà ang kútiks, Just apply a little acetone on it, and the nail polish will come off.
A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan|John U. Wolff
They invariably keep up, and oftener come out ahead than they lag behind.
The Education of American Girls|Anna Callender Brackett
Is it to lag behind and vainly pursue an equitable adjustment which is rendered fleeting by judicial forms?
The Origins of Contemporary France, Volume 3 (of 6)|Hippolyte A. Taine
These watchers were not wholly gloomy nor did the midnight hours lag unsolaced.
Americana Ebrietatis|Hewson L. Peeke
They hastened onward, and now Michal begged her husband not to lag so far behind her.
Pretty Michal|Mr Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for lag (1 of 3)

lag¹

/ (læɡ) /

verb lags, lagging or lagged (intr)

(often foll by behind) to hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc

to fall away in strength or intensity

to determine an order of play in certain games, as by rolling marbles towards a line or, in billiards, hitting cue balls up the table against the top cushion in an attempt to bring them back close to the headrail

noun

the act or state of slowing down or falling behind

the interval of time between two events, esp between an action and its effect

an act of lagging in a game, such as billiards

Word Origin for lag

C16: of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for lag (2 of 3)

lag²

/ (læɡ) slang /

noun

a convict or ex-convict (esp in the phrase old lag)

a term of imprisonment

verb lags, lagging or lagged

(tr) to arrest or put in prison

Word Origin for lag

C19: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for lag (3 of 3)

lag³

/ (læɡ) /

verb lags, lagging or lagged

(tr) to cover (a pipe, cylinder, etc) with lagging to prevent loss of heat

noun

the insulating casing of a steam cylinder, boiler, etc; lagging

a stave or lath

Word Origin for lag

C17: of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish lagg stave

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lag

verb (used without object), lagged, lag·ging.

verb (used with object), lagged, lag·ging.

noun

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Origin of lag

SYNONYMS FOR lag

ANTONYMS FOR lag

Words nearby lag

Definition for lag (2 of 3)

verb (used with object), lagged, lag·ging.

noun

Origin of lag

Definition for lag (3 of 3)

noun

verb (used with object), lagged, lag·ging.

Origin of lag

Words related to lag

Example sentences from the Web for lag

British Dictionary definitions for lag (1 of 3)

verb lags, lagging or lagged (intr)

noun

Word Origin for lag

British Dictionary definitions for lag (2 of 3)

noun

verb lags, lagging or lagged

Word Origin for lag

British Dictionary definitions for lag (3 of 3)

verb lags, lagging or lagged

noun

Word Origin for lag