lag

¹ American  

[lag] / læg /

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.

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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 American  

[lag] / læg /

verb (used with object)

lagged, lagging

1. to send to penal servitude; imprison

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noun

1. a convict or ex-convict.

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

lag ³ American  

[lag] / læg /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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 British  

/ læɡ /

noun

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

2. a term of imprisonment

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verb

1. (tr) to arrest or put in prison

lag ³ British  

/ læɡ /

verb

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

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noun

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

2. a stave or lath

Etymology

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”

Explanation

When you can't keep up with your fellow marathon runners, you can say that you lag behind them. The word lag describes a kind of slowness or delay. As a noun, it means a slowing: "The coach was disappointed by the lag in her swimmers' best times that day." When you lag behind someone, you fall back or don't measure up. A student who struggles with math, for example, might say that his grades lag behind his best friend's. In the 1550s, lag meant "last person."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lag lagged lagging

Jorge Hernandez, director of spa and wellness at Capella Singapore, said the techniques trigger blood flow, support the lymphatic system and calm the nervous system—all helpful in the battle against jet lag.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The data indicate many IPOs lag the broader market for up to 2½ years, as early enthusiasm fades and insider selling increases supply.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

“These databases will always lag behind innovation and can be easily circumvented and generate false positives that block legal designs and wrongly flag everyday makers,” she said at a Senate hearing this month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

There is also a lag between reporting and updating national data.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Then he caught up with the group, determined not to lag behind, not to complain, not to be any trouble to anyone.

From "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park

"The lagged effect from high energy prices will probably lift inflation above 3.0 percent in September and to about 3.5 percent early next year," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

The U.S. and Mexico have been holding talks on bilateral trade issues, but discussions with Canada have lagged.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

PepsiCo’s North America business lagged in the latest quarter, and the stock was having its worst day in 15 months, even as strength in international business led to an earnings beat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Until now, though, enzymatic methods have lagged far behind conventional manufacturing in the number of DNA sequences they can produce simultaneously.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

The open sky beyond where in the distance the sullen sea lagged and shifted.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Microsoft’s video game division plans to eliminate 3,200 jobs, or around 20% of its staff over the next year, as part of a sweeping reorganization to revive the company’s lagging games division.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

In an interview with WSJ World Coverage Chief Gordon Fairclough, Rutte addressed the friction between Washington and European leaders, and how the alliance plans to confront lagging weapons production.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

That partnership, and the subsequent planned acquisition, was SpaceX “effectively” conceding that its frontier model is lagging behind the pack, Granda said in a research note.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit predicts that, based on current planning rates, Wales will only meet 10% of its target by 2030, "lagging behind" other devolved nations.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

As they trudged on, he noticed that Renn was lagging behind.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

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