procrastinate

Synonym Chooser

How is the word procrastinate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of procrastinate are dally, dawdle, delay, lag, and loiter. While all these words mean "to move or act slowly so as to fall behind," procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

procrastinates about making decisions

When could dally be used to replace procrastinate?

While the synonyms dally and procrastinate are close in meaning, dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

When might delay be a better fit than procrastinate?

In some situations, the words delay and procrastinate are roughly equivalent. However, delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).

we cannot delay any longer

When can lag be used instead of procrastinate?

While in some cases nearly identical to procrastinate, lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

How are the words loiter and dawdle related as synonyms of procrastinate?

Both loiter and dawdle imply delay while in progress, especially in walking, but dawdle more clearly suggests an aimless wasting of time.

loitered at several store windows
children dawdling on their way home from school

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 procrastinate People procrastinate, and couples usually have to call, text, or email right before the cutoff date. Alice Gibbs, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025 Related article These people stopped procrastinating. Andrea Kane, CNN, 12 Feb. 2025 Some Americans may be ahead of the game, having filed their returns already with the Internal Revenue Service, while many others may be looking to procrastinate it as long as possible. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025 Third, CFOs’ (non) responses to these eight questions will swiftly inform boards if AI readiness is serious, a passing curiosity or simply procrastinating lip service. Noah Barsky, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for procrastinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for procrastinate
Verb
  • Overall, domestic revenue for the weekend is estimated to come in at $53 million, per Comscore, one of the lowest Oscar weekends in at least a decade (excluding 2021, when the awards show was delayed and theaters were struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
    Shania Russell, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Trump had delayed the tariffs once before to allow more time for talks.
    Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Trump has expressed support for ending the practice, but recent efforts to do so have stalled, and only two states—Hawaii and most of Arizona—don’t participate in Daylight Saving Time.
    Chantelle Lee, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Legislative reinforcement will be critical in ensuring that regulatory reform does not stall at the finish line.
    Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • If no shelter is available, crawl to an interior wall away from windows.
    Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025
  • As Hill sprinted from the trailing vehicle, the president was struck by a second and third shot as Hill crawled onto the back of the Kennedys' accelerating car.
    Bill Trott, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The most illuminated of them, hatless and dragging, is followed by a marginally more active figure, the only one to acknowledge the viewer’s presence.
    Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
  • But the 2013 peace process soon collapsed as tensions reignited, dragging Turkey and the PKK back into a bloody war and ending a two-year ceasefire.
    Eyad Kourdi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Procrastinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/procrastinate. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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