lag
A period of time when something is slow to happen or happens later than another thing.
A period of time when something happens later than another related event or later than expected.
To go or grow more slowly than others and be behind them.
To move, develop, or progress more slowly than others, so that you are or it is behind them in position, level, or progress.
An informal British word for a person in prison, especially someone who has been there many times.
An informal word, mainly in British English, for a prisoner, especially someone who has been in prison many times.
To cover pipes, a boiler, or another surface with special material so that heat does not escape, mainly in British English.
To cover something such as pipes, a boiler, or a tank with insulating material in order to reduce heat loss, mainly in British technical or trade usage.
- Base: lag
- Plural: lags
- Base: lag
- 3rd Person Singular: lags
- Present Participle: lagging
- Past: lagged
- Irregular present participle: lagging Verb
- Irregular past: lagged Verb
input lag
1delay between input and response
The time delay between when you press a button or move a control and when the computer, TV, or game shows the result.
- This monitor has very low input lag, which is great for gaming.
- High input lag can make fast‑paced games feel unresponsive.
jet lag
1tiredness after long flights
The feeling of being very tired and not able to sleep normally after a long flight across different time zones.
- She had terrible jet lag after flying from New York to Tokyo.
- Give yourself a day to recover from jet lag before the meeting.
lag behind
1move or develop more slowly
To move, grow, or improve more slowly than others so that you are behind them.
- Our country continues to lag behind its neighbors in digital infrastructure.
- If you lag behind during the hike, the guide will ask you to turn back.
- Students who miss classes often lag behind their classmates.
network lag
1delay in network data transfer
Slow or delayed movement of data on the internet or a computer network, which makes things like calls or games feel slow.
- We lost the match because of heavy network lag during the final minutes.
- Video calls often freeze when there is network lag.
old lag
1experienced criminal or prisoner
An informal British expression for someone who has been in prison many times.
- The character is an old lag who knows every trick in the prison system.
- Only an old lag like him could survive that place for so long.
there is a lag between
1state where one event follows later
Used to say that one thing happens later than another related thing.
- There is a lag between doing exercise and seeing results.
- In many countries, there is a lag between economic growth and higher wages.
time lag
1delay between cause and effect
A period of time between one event and another related event, especially between a cause and its result.
- There is usually a time lag between changes in interest rates and changes in consumer spending.
- Because of the time lag in reporting, the figures do not show the latest situation.
with a time lag
1occurring after a delay
Used to say that something happens later than something else by a certain amount of time.
- Changes in policy usually affect the real economy with a time lag.
- The symptoms often appear with a time lag of several days.