procrastinate

American  

[proh-kras-tuh-neyt, pruh-] / proʊˈkræs təˌneɪt, prə- /

verb (used without object)

procrastinated, procrastinating

1. to defer action; delay.

   to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.

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verb (used with object)

procrastinated, procrastinating

1. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.

   Synonyms:

   postpone, prolong

procrastinate British  

/ prə-, prəʊˈkræstɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. (usually intr) to put off or defer (an action) until a later time; delay

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Other Word Forms

• overprocrastination noun
• procrastinatingly adverb
• procrastination noun
• procrastinative adjective
• procrastinatively adverb
• procrastinativeness noun
• procrastinator noun
• procrastinatory adjective
• unprocrastinated adjective

Etymology

Origin of procrastinate

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin prōcrāstinātus, past participle of prōcrāstināre “to put off until tomorrow,” from prō- pro- ¹ + -crāstināre, derivative of crāstinus “of tomorrow” (from crās “tomorrow” + -tinus, adjective suffix)

Example Sentences

It’s one thing to study and write about later life; it’s quite another to live it and see things I wish I had done differently or, in particular, hadn’t procrastinated about.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I told you to have this done yesterday. Stop procrastinating and get it done now.”

From Literature

No fan of Dyer’s, whose many books have ranged from a bizarre if thrilling immersion in the psyches of American jazz musicians to a volume about procrastinating while trying to write about D.H.

From Los Angeles Times

So Murderbot, instead of proactively going out on these adventures, is procrastinating.

From Salon

Ron Delnevo, from the Payments Choice Alliance, said he was disappointed about the "procrastinating approach" of the committee.

From BBC

Related Words

• dawdle
• hesitate