lag
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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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.
- Antonyms:
- hasten
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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.
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to delay or fail in reaching full development.
The factory lags regularly in making its quota.
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The old friends lagged because they wanted to talk some more.
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to decrease, wane, or flag gradually, as in intensity.
Interest lagged as the meeting went on.
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(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.
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Marbles. to throw one's shooting marble toward a line lag line on the ground in order to decide on the order of play.
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Billiards, Pool. string.
verb (used with object)
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to fail to keep up with.
The industry still lags the national economy.
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Obsolete. to cause to lag.
noun
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a lagging or falling behind; retardation.
- Synonyms:
- slowdown
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a person who lags behind, is the last to arrive, etc.
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an interval or lapse of time.
There was a developmental lag in the diffusion of ideas.
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Digital Technology.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Mechanics. the amount of retardation of some motion.
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Electricity. the retardation of one alternating quantity, as current, with respect to another related alternating quantity, as voltage, often expressed in degrees.
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Marbles, Billiards, Pool. the act of lagging.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a convict or ex-convict.
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a period or term of penal servitude; prison sentence.
noun
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one of the staves or strips that form the periphery of a wooden drum, the casing of a steam cylinder, or the like.
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Masonry. a crosspiece between ribs in a centering.
verb (used with object)
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to line or cover (an excavation) with lagging.
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to cover with insulation, as a steam boiler, to prevent radiation of heat.
verb
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(often foll by behind) to hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc
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to fall away in strength or intensity
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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
noun
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the act or state of slowing down or falling behind
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the interval of time between two events, esp between an action and its effect
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an act of lagging in a game, such as billiards
noun
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a convict or ex-convict (esp in the phrase old lag )
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a term of imprisonment
verb
verb
noun
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the insulating casing of a steam cylinder, boiler, etc; lagging
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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”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My body was so fatigued by this point that all the stabilizer muscles in my ankles and feet were lagging.
Detractors argued Horning had allowed the resort to lag behind rivals like Vail and Jackson Hole.
These safe-haven investments often offer low volatility and could help protect investors from market downturns, but they generally lag during bull markets.
From MarketWatch
So when the biggest stocks generate huge returns, as technology giants were doing until recently, it lags behind.
After 25 years of bouncing around the globe with Gorillaz, he’s still longing for a jet lag cure.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
