lagging

¹ American  

[lag-ing] / ˈlæg ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of falling or staying behind.

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adjective

1. lingering; loitering; slow and dragging.

   lagging steps.

lagging ² American  

[lag-ing] / ˈlæg ɪŋ /

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.

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lagging British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• laggingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of lagging¹

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

Origin of lagging²

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

Example Sentences

This year, however, 80% of hotels surveyed by the American Hotel and Lodging Assn. said bookings are lagging behind initial forecasts.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

A small part of the problem is that the dividend aristocrat index is equal-weighted, but it has done terribly even compared with the equal-weighted S&P, which is itself lagging behind the normal, market-value-weighted index.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Small caps have finally started to break out, after years of lagging behind megacap stocks.

From MarketWatch • May 16, 2026

Momentum has begun to slow this year: Oklo is up 2.6% in 2026, lagging behind the benchmark index, which has risen 8.1%.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

By late morning, three of Hall’s clients—Stuart Hutchison, John Taske, and Lou Kasischke, climbing near the back with Hall— were becoming quite worried about the lagging pace.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• underdeveloped