lag

[ lag ]

/ læg /

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See synonyms for: lag / lagged / lagging on Thesaurus.com

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.

(in video games) to experience a delay between player input or game signals and the in-game manifestation of that action, often due to high network latency: I’m lagging so hard that enemies are killing me before I can even attack them.

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. 33).

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.

Digital Technology.

Also called dis·play lag [dih-spley-lag] /dɪˈspleɪ ˌlæg/ . the delay between a signal input and its display on a screen, as a high-definition television screen or LCD, due to latency in digital data conversion.
Also called in·put lag [in-poot lag] /ˈɪnˌpʊt ˌlæg/ . (in video games) a display lag between player input or game signals and the in-game manifestation of that action, due to differences in display refresh rate or controller input: To make a competitive speed run, your best display option for minimal lag is still a CRT.
Also called net·work lag [net-wurk lag] /ˈnɛtˌwɜrk ˌlæg/ . (in video games) such a display lag due to high network latency: If you have an old computer or slow connection, lag makes multiplayer gameplay difficult.

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, Pool. the act of lagging.

OTHER WORDS FOR lag

1 loiter, linger.

11 slowing, slowdown.

See synonyms for lag on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR lag

1 hasten.

See antonyms for lag on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of lag

First recorded in 1500–50; origin uncertain, probably from Scandinavian: compare Middle Danish lakke, Norwegian lagga “to go slowly”

Words nearby lag

La Fontaine, La Fontaine, Jean de, Laforgue, La Fresnaye, LAFTA, lag, lagan, Lagash, Lag b'Omer, lag correlation, lagen

Other definitions 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

Other definitions 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

First recorded in 1655–60; from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse lǫgg “rim of a barrel,” Swedish lagg “stave”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lag in a sentence

Shared servers are ok for smaller sites, but if you want to avoid the lag time, opt for another type of hosting.
Why site speed is critical for your SEO success and how to make it happen|Anthony Gaenzle|September 4, 2020|Search Engine Watch
That way, visitors can still play the video right there on your page, but they won’t deal with any lag in load time.
Why site speed is critical for your SEO success and how to make it happen|Anthony Gaenzle|September 4, 2020|Search Engine Watch
I had enough of dropping off important Zoom calls and listening to my partner complain about the lag during video games.
The best things I bought in August|Rachel Schallom|August 30, 2020|Fortune
Those steps are part of the reason for the lag every election.
Morning Report: The GOP Loved Mail Voting Before it Hated it|Voice of San Diego|August 10, 2020|Voice of San Diego

So for example, when you click on a link on your phone, you might notice there’s some lag time to get a response back from the network.
Can You Hear Me Now? (Ep. 406)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 20, 2020|Freakonomics
If detection lag time is 10 days, then that, plus a healthy margin, should be the “deferral” period.
The Outrageous Celibacy Requirement for Gay Blood Donors|Jay Michaelson|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And best of all, no TSA and no jet lag (although we make no guarantees against a next-day hangover).
Join The Mile High (Dining) Club|Allison McNearney|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Was there a long lag between those tapes and the tapes released more recently?
Going Public With the Nixon Tapes|Scott Porch|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Breastfeeding rates for black women have risen but still lag far behind those for white and Hispanic mothers.
Why Poor Mothers Don’t Breastfeed|Brandy Zadrozny|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
About 50 percent of clients use the I.V. Doc for other things—stomach bugs and jet lag, for example.
The I.V. Doc Comes to Your House, Fights Hangovers, and Wins|Abby Haglage|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Owing to its inertia, it would thus tend continually to lag behind the particles of matter about it.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Ecclesiastical is ever wont to lag somewhat in the rear of political improvement.
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century|Charles J. Abbey and John H. Overton
I was living in Lambeth at the house of an old lag, who practically took nobody but crooks as lodgers.
The Daffodil Mystery|Edgar Wallace
While he was urging on one part of the herd, the others would lag by the wayside and begin to graze.
The Pony Rider Boys in Texas|Frank Gee Patchin
They invariably keep up, and oftener come out ahead than they lag behind.
The Education of American Girls|Anna Callender Brackett

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

OTHER WORDS FOR lag

OPPOSITES FOR lag

Origin of lag

Words nearby lag

Other definitions for lag (2 of 3)

Origin of lag

Other definitions for lag (3 of 3)

Origin of lag

Words related to lag

How to use lag in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lag (1 of 3)

Word Origin for lag

British Dictionary definitions for lag (2 of 3)

Word Origin for lag

British Dictionary definitions for lag (3 of 3)

Word Origin for lag