lags 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of lag
1
as in fades
to lose bodily strength or vigor during the fourth quarter the whole team seemed to lag

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delays
to move or act slowly the tired puppy was lagging behind the rest of the pack

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lags

2 of 2

noun

plural of lag
as in slowdowns

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lags
Verb
But the reflation boost appears to be petering out as much of the price recovery has been driven by surging global energy costs, while domestic demand lags. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 The primary reason for this chasm between psychiatry and the rest of medicine is that knowledge about the biological basis of mental disorders lags behind other medical disorders. — Anand Kumar, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2026 The agency's case count lags about six weeks behind state-by-state numbers because of the process required to confirm and officially report an infection back to the federal level. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 Summary Artificial intelligence adoption for frontline workers lags significantly behind its integration for information workers, despite frontline staff comprising the majority of the workforce. — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 Of course, the reason Venezuela lags by such a huge margin is the dilapidated state of its oil infrastructure. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026 Also, our politics sometimes lags behind our economic reality. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026 The government's national toll of at least 265 dead and 500 missing lags far behind counts from local authorities, while an independent database lists over 4,100 as unaccounted for. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 In my experience, the temperature down there lags the outdoors by a month or so. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lags
  1. fades
  2. delays
  3. slowdowns
  4. weakens
  5. lingers
  6. pauses
  7. sags
  8. drags
Verb
  • Stimulus trickling in Economists expect better growth for the rest of the year, as adverse weather fades and local governments accelerate fiscal spending.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The sibling drama, meanwhile, rather fades out of view amid these loftier goings-on; the film’s narrative begins to feel devised by the old parlor game Consequences, repeatedly wrenched in erratic new directions.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of fades
Verb
  • So pretending imbalance isn't happening — like when one partner is regularly absorbing all the work and smiling through it — just delays the same resentment that often festers in exchange relationships.
    — Mark Travers, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
  • That is not only a problem for expanding power grid infrastructure to support growing electricity demand, but also delays the process of replacing aging power transformers.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of delays
Noun
  • Lenders, and borrowers, care whether a mortgage can remain affordable through job changes, slowdowns, illnesses or other disruptions.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Refining Client Narratives Takes Priority Summer slowdowns should be seen as a strategic advantage.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of slowdowns
Verb
  • Siegel noted that measles weakens the immune system and increases the risk of pneumonia, which can stem from measles itself or from a secondary bacterial infection.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Employment has been a mostly resilient area of the economy even as stubborn inflation continues to squeeze businesses and households, while consumer confidence weakens.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakens
Verb
  • Inside Fort Worth's Cowboy Coliseum, a historic 1908 indoor rodeo venue in the heart of the city's famous Stockyards, the gunpowdery smell of pyrotechnics lingers in the air.
    — Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Sorsby eventually withdrew from college and gave up the fight, but the lawsuit lingers on — triggered by a state court order that had temporarily allowed Sorsby to play despite the NCAA longtime ban of players who gamble.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of lingers
Noun
  • The postponements began shortly after federal judges this month rejected the administration’s attempts to use blanket pauses, rather than individual assessments, to prevent certain immigrants from receiving visas over public-charge concerns.
    — María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • These pauses also give the documentary an air of mournful respect, making its pace more deliberate than the standard talking heads-doc that might be mistaken as a stylistic counterpart.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of pauses
Verb
  • Unfortunately, using too little paint will leave patchy areas and harsh lines, and using too much paint will promote drips and paint that sags.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 6 July 2026
  • There is no scrapeable archive of how to grasp a wet cup, unload a box that sags in the middle, fold a towel, or help an older adult out of a chair.
    — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of sags
Verb
  • As the conflict drags on, damage to the Middle East will extend far beyond infrastructure.
    — Dina Esfandiary, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
  • And while American and Israeli strikes have battered Iran for months, the conflict has also taken a toll on Pentagon resources and American lives as the war drags on.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of drags

Browse Nearby Words

lagoons
lags
laical
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lags.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lags. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All