lag

¹

[lag]

verb (used without object)

lagged, lagging 

1. 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.

   Synonyms: linger, loiter
   Antonyms: hasten

2. to move or develop slowly, as toward a goal or objective, or in relation to an associated factor (often followed bybehind ).

   to lag behind in production.

3. to delay or fail in reaching full development.

   The factory lags regularly in making its quota.

4. to hang back; linger; delay.

   The old friends lagged because they wanted to talk some more.

5. to decrease, wane, or flag gradually, as in intensity.

   Interest lagged as the meeting went on.

6. (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.

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

8. Billiards, Pool.,  string.

verb (used with object)

lagged, lagging 

1. to fail to keep up with.

   The industry still lags the national economy.

2. Obsolete.,  to cause to lag.

noun

1. a lagging or falling behind; retardation.

   Synonyms: slowdown

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

3. an interval or lapse of time.

   There was a developmental lag in the diffusion of ideas.

4. Digital Technology.

   1. Also called display lag. 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.

   2. Also called input lag. (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.

   3. Also called network lag. (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.

5. Mechanics.,  the amount of retardation of some motion.

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

7. Marbles, Billiards, Pool.,  the act of lagging.

lag

²

[lag]

verb (used with object)

lagged, lagging 

1. to send to penal servitude; imprison

noun

1. a convict or ex-convict.

2. a period or term of penal servitude; prison sentence.

lag

³

[lag]

noun

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

2. Masonry.,  a crosspiece between ribs in a centering.

verb (used with object)

lagged, lagging 

1. to line or cover (an excavation) with lagging.

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

lag

¹

/ læɡ /

verb

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

2. to fall away in strength or intensity

3. 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

1. the act or state of slowing down or falling behind

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

3. an act of lagging in a game, such as billiards

lag

²

/ læɡ /

noun

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

2. a term of imprisonment

verb

1. (tr) to arrest or put in prison

lag

³

/ læɡ /

verb

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

noun

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

2. a stave or lath

Word History and Origins

Origin of lag¹

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

Origin of lag²

First recorded in 1565–75; origin uncertain

Origin of lag³

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lag¹

C16: of obscure origin

Origin of lag²

C19: of unknown origin

Origin of lag³

C17: of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish lagg stave

Example Sentences

They tell clients in a note that data show ANZ is lagging its major bank peers on growth in mortgages, business lending and deposits.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

To address the lag between deployment and productivity gains, Brynjolfsson developed what he called the productivity J-curve, which charts the path of productivity growth following the introduction of a new technology.

Read more on Barron's

Regional banks have lagged behind, however, amid worries about a slowing economy and weakening credit conditions, and the biggest private prison stocks are down big in 2025 after getting a postelection bump.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And while stocks have staged a bit of a rebound this week—it looks to be the Nasdaq’s best Thanksgiving week since 2008—Nvidia has lagged behind.

Read more on Barron's

This lag is being repeated today, and for the same reasons.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• decrease 
• diminish 
• fail 
• fall off 
• falter 
• slacken 
• slow 
• trail 
• wane