procrastinate
verb
pro·cras·ti·nate
prə-ˈkra-stə-ˌnāt 
prō-
procrastinated; procrastinating
: to put off intentionally and habitually
: to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done
Did you know?
We won't put off telling you about out the origins of procrastinate: it comes from the Latin prefix pro-, meaning "forward," and crastinus, "of tomorrow." The word means moving or acting slowly so as to fall behind, and it implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.
Examples of procrastinate in a Sentence
He procrastinated and missed the submission deadline.
He told her to stop procrastinating and get to work.
Recent Examples on the Web
Interviews by Kate Guadagnino Advice on Beginning Ten creative minds on how to start, pivot and productively procrastinate.
—
Kate Guadagnino, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2024
In most years, roughly 90% of ballots are counted by the Thursday after Election Day, but that number is harder to hit if voters procrastinate.
—Kale Williams, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
This means companies can, in effect, procrastinate and wait until customer demand is present before producing an actual product or service.
—Kaihan Krippendorff
robert C. Wolcott, Harvard Business Review, 23 Oct. 2024
In fact, some advocacy organizations are crying foul, citing the danger of procrastinating and attributing the delay to the power of special interest groups.
—Mary Foley, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for procrastinate 
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Kate Guadagnino, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2024
In most years, roughly 90% of ballots are counted by the Thursday after Election Day, but that number is harder to hit if voters procrastinate.
—Kale Williams, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
This means companies can, in effect, procrastinate and wait until customer demand is present before producing an actual product or service.
—Kaihan Krippendorff
robert C. Wolcott, Harvard Business Review, 23 Oct. 2024
In fact, some advocacy organizations are crying foul, citing the danger of procrastinating and attributing the delay to the power of special interest groups.
—Mary Foley, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for procrastinate
Articles Related to procrastinate
Dictionary Entries Near procrastinate
Cite this Entry
“Procrastinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/procrastinate. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
procrastinate
verb
pro·cras·ti·nate
p(r)ə-ˈkras-tə-ˌnāt
prō-
procrastinated; procrastinating
: to keep putting off something that should be done
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