lagging

¹

[lag-ing]

noun

1. the act of covering a boiler, oil tank, etc., with heat-insulating material.

2. the covering formed.

3. the material used.

4. a number of boards or the like joined together side by side to line an excavation.

5. Masonry.,  a number of lags, taken as a whole.

lagging

²

[lag-ing]

noun

1. the act of falling or staying behind.

adjective

1. lingering; loitering; slow and dragging.

   lagging steps.

lagging

/ ˈlæɡɪŋ /

noun

1. insulating material wrapped around pipes, boilers, etc, or laid in a roof loft, to prevent loss of heat

2. the act or process of applying lagging

3. a wooden frame used to support an arch during construction

Other Word Forms

• laggingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of lagging¹

First recorded in 1850–55; lag ³ + -ing ¹

Origin of lagging²

First recorded in 1590–1600; lag ¹ + -ing ¹, -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The specialized ETF was launched in September 2018 to exploit the short-term reversal effect, but wound up lagging the S&P 500 by almost 4 percentage points on an annualized basis.

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That means small caps’ prospects over the next few years are not any greater just because they’re lagging.

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Those have been lagging since the Federal Reserve’s move to raise interest rates in 2022, which made it harder to profitably sell companies that had been purchased when rates were lower.

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Recent market turmoil led by an artificial-intelligence selloff seems like the perfect opportunity for lagging, less risky areas of the market to shine.

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Europe is, however, still lagging behind the United States and China.

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Related Words

• underdeveloped