procrastinate

[ proh-kras-tuh-neyt, pruh- ]

/ proʊˈkræs təˌneɪt, prə- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR procrastinate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing.

to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.

verb (used with object), pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing.

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

Nearby words

procollagen, proconsul, proconsulate, proconvertin, procopius, procrastinate, procrastination, procrastination is the thief of time, procreant, procreate, procreative

Origin of procrastinate

1580–90; < Latin prōcrāstinātus (past participle of prōcrāstināre to put off until tomorrow, equivalent to prō- pro-¹ + -crāstināre, derivative of crāstinus of tomorrow; crās tomorrow + -tinus suffix forming adjectives from temporal adverbs); see -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR procrastinate

2 prolong, postpone.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR procrastinate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

pro·cras·ti·nat·ing·ly, pro·cras·ti·na·tive·ly, adverbpro·cras·ti·na·tion, nounpro·cras·ti·na·tive, pro·cras·ti·na·to·ry

[proh-kras-tuh-nuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, pruh-] /proʊˈkræs tə nəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, prə-/, adjectivepro·cras·ti·na·tive·ness, noun

pro·cras·ti·na·tor, nouno·ver·pro·cras·ti·na·tion, nounun·pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for procrastinator

Freitag claims she was a good student, but a procrastinator: she would study for tests with an hour to go and ace them.
Chopped? Amanda Freitag Hopes Not|Tim Teeman|February 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The procrastinator admits, for instance, that a piece of work must be done.
Practical Ethics|William DeWitt Hyde
He may have been a procrastinator in everything else, but as a writer he was a skilled mechanic.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13|Elbert Hubbard
The procrastinator queries, "Cannot American man-power meet the demand?"
Mobilizing Woman-Power|Harriot Stanton Blatch

The procrastinator is the veriest drudge—he has his nose to the grindstone all the time.
Nuggets of the New Thought|William Walker Atkinson,
Then, to prevent the procrastinator from backing up, the salesman reached for the telephone on the advertiser's desk.
Certain Success|Norval A. Hawkins

British Dictionary definitions for procrastinator

procrastinate

/ (prəʊˈkræstɪˌneɪt, prə-) /

verb

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

Derived Forms

procrastination, nounprocrastinator, noun

Word Origin for procrastinate

C16: from Latin prōcrāstināre to postpone until tomorrow, from pro- 1 + crās tomorrow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012