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.
to move or develop slowly, as toward a goal or objective, or in relation to an associated factor (often followed by behind): to lag behind in production.
to delay or fail in reaching full development: The factory lags regularly in making its quota.
to hang back; linger; delay: The old friends lagged because they wanted to talk some more.
to decrease, wane, or flag gradually, as in intensity: Interest lagged as the meeting went on.
(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.
Marbles. to throw one's shooting marble toward a line (lag line ) on the ground in order to decide on the order of play.
Billiards, Pool. string (def. 33).
verb (used with object),lagged,lag·ging.
to fail to keep up with: The industry still lags the national economy.
Obsolete. to cause to lag.
noun
a lagging or falling behind; retardation.
a person who lags behind, is the last to arrive, etc.
an interval or lapse of time: There was a developmental lag in the diffusion of ideas.
Digital Technology.
Also called dis·play lag[dih-spley-lag] /dɪˈspleɪ ˌlæg/ .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.
Also called in·put lag[in-poot lag] /ˈɪnˌpʊt ˌlæg/ .(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.
Also called net·work lag[net-wurk lag] /ˈnɛtˌwɜrk ˌlæg/ .(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.
Mechanics. the amount of retardation of some motion.
Electricity. the retardation of one alternating quantity, as current, with respect to another related alternating quantity, as voltage, often expressed in degrees.
Marbles, Billiards, Pool. the act of lagging.
Origin of lag
1
First recorded in 1500–50; origin uncertain, probably from Scandinavian: compare Middle Danish lakke, Norwegian lagga “to go slowly”
SYNONYMS FOR lag
1 loiter, linger.
11 slowing, slowdown.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR lag ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR lag
1 hasten.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR lag ON THESAURUS.COM
Definition for lag (2 of 3)
lag2
[ lag ]
/ læg /
Chiefly BritishSlang.
verb (used with object),lagged,lag·ging.
to send to penal servitude; imprison
noun
a convict or ex-convict.
a period or term of penal servitude; prison sentence.
Origin of lag
2
First recorded in 1565–75; origin uncertain
Definition for lag (3 of 3)
lag3
[ lag ]
/ læg /
noun
one of the staves or strips that form the periphery of a wooden drum, the casing of a steam cylinder, or the like.
Masonry. a crosspiece between ribs in a centering.
verb (used with object),lagged,lag·ging.
to line or cover (an excavation) with lagging.
to cover with insulation, as a steam boiler, to prevent radiation of heat.
Origin of lag
3
First recorded in 1655–60; from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse lǫgg “rim of a barrel,” Swedish lagg “stave”
The American art world has lagged far behind its British counterparts.
Fotofest Brings Unprecedented Collection of Arab Photographic Art to U.S.|Yael Friedman|November 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
CBS has lagged in the morning ratings race since roughly the beginning of morning television.
‘CBS This Morning’ Success Brings With It a Certain Swagger|David Freedlander|July 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There were those who lagged behind out of incomprehension, political calculation, or timidity.
Clinton’s Take on Gay Marriage Today|Robert Shrum|March 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His brother, an Islamic scholar, lagged him by two years and both ended up in Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda’s Top Recruiting Tool: The CIA|Jamie Dettmer|February 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whether the media changed the culture or lagged it, they were not missing in action.
In Between Mass Shootings, the Media Have Been MIA on Guns|Howard Kurtz|December 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He kept step with the horse the whole way, but Trond lagged behind us down the slope.
What Happened to Inger Johanne|Dikken Zwilgmeyer
Mrs. Peckaby waited a bit, thinking they might have lagged unwittingly, and then called out again, with the like result.
Verner's Pride|Mrs. Henry Wood
She lagged, and Denver slowed his pace to support her tottering progress.
Master of the Moondog|Stanley Mullen
Dey brushed us if us lagged in de field or cut up de cotton.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves|Work Projects Administration
At times the Indians turned and scowled darkly when she lagged too far behind.
The Long Patrol|H. A. Cody
British Dictionary definitions for lag (1 of 3)
lag1
/ (læɡ) /
verblags, laggingorlagged(intr)
(often foll by behind)to hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc
to fall away in strength or intensity
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
the act or state of slowing down or falling behind
the interval of time between two events, esp between an action and its effect
an act of lagging in a game, such as billiards
Word Origin for lag
C16: of obscure origin
British Dictionary definitions for lag (2 of 3)
lag2
/ (læɡ) slang /
noun
a convict or ex-convict (esp in the phrase old lag)
a term of imprisonment
verblags, laggingorlagged
(tr)to arrest or put in prison
Word Origin for lag
C19: of unknown origin
British Dictionary definitions for lag (3 of 3)
lag3
/ (læɡ) /
verblags, laggingorlagged
(tr)to cover (a pipe, cylinder, etc) with lagging to prevent loss of heat
noun
the insulating casing of a steam cylinder, boiler, etc; lagging
a stave or lath
Word Origin for lag
C17: of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish lagg stave