lag
1to 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 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).
to fail to keep up with: The industry still lags the national economy.
Obsolete. to cause to lag.
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.
Origin of lag
1Other words for lag
| 1 | loiter, linger |
| 11 | slowing, slowdown |
Opposites for lag
Other definitions for lag (2 of 3)
a convict or ex-convict.
a period or term of penal servitude; prison sentence.
Origin of lag
2Other definitions for lag (3 of 3)
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.
to line or cover (an excavation) with lagging.
to cover with insulation, as a steam boiler, to prevent radiation of heat.
Origin of lag
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lag in a sentence
Roblox files to go publicNaturally there is a lag between when a deal is struck and when it is announced.
Given the lag between infection and diagnosis, it’s still difficult to tell whether or not Germany’s second wave has crested.
Nobody really knows which coronavirus strategy is the right one | David Meyer | November 16, 2020 | FortuneThere will certainly be a lag between long form content models such as Big Bird and ClusterFormer and significant improvements in long documents for the likes of BERT et al, in production search.
Could Google passage indexing be leveraging BERT? | Dawn Anderson | October 29, 2020 | Search Engine LandThat’s because, in addition to providing fast download speeds, 5G also provides quicker connectivity with less lag.
Publishers with commerce operations have long struggled with the lag between when they drive sales for affiliate networks and retailers and when said networks and retailers report those sales.
‘Game-time decisions on a daily basis’: How BuzzFeed is preparing for a more responsive holiday shopping season | Max Willens | October 12, 2020 | Digiday
CBS lagged a few seconds behind because Roger Mudd had gone on too long in a stand-up from Washington, D.C.
Death of JFK Spawned an Industry That Thrived for Decades | Richard Woodward | November 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe American art world has lagged far behind its British counterparts.
Fotofest Brings Unprecedented Collection of Arab Photographic Art to U.S. | Yael Friedman | November 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTSony has long lagged behind market leaders Samsung, Apple, and Nokia in the mobile phone market.
CBS has lagged in the morning ratings race since roughly the beginning of morning television.
‘CBS This Morning’ Success Brings With It a Certain Swagger | David Freedlander | July 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBusiness activity revived but reemployment lagged; policymakers confronted what would today be called a “jobless recovery.”
The principle of liberty and human dignity was accepted everywhere in theory, however much realisation lagged.
The Life of Mazzini | Bolton KingThat message was for the boss, and I lagged behind in the dimly lighted hall while she was showing him into the back parlor.
The Wreckers | Francis LyndeOne caught a fugitive as he lagged behind—and he died screaming.
Hunters Out of Space | Joseph Everidge KelleamHer own work lagged, watching Annie as with quick, sure motions she made the asparagus into bunches for market.
Fidelity | Susan GlaspellThat is, all did save Stacy Brown, who, as was his habit lagged behind a few rods.
The Pony Rider Boys in Texas | Frank Gee Patchin
British Dictionary definitions for lag (1 of 3)
/ (læɡ) /
(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
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
Origin of lag
1British Dictionary definitions for lag (2 of 3)
/ (læɡ) slang /
a convict or ex-convict (esp in the phrase old lag)
a term of imprisonment
(tr) to arrest or put in prison
Origin of lag
2British Dictionary definitions for lag (3 of 3)
/ (læɡ) /
(tr) to cover (a pipe, cylinder, etc) with lagging to prevent loss of heat
the insulating casing of a steam cylinder, boiler, etc; lagging
a stave or lath
Origin of lag
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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