lagging

¹ American  

[lag-ing] / ˈlæg ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of falling or staying behind.

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adjective

1. lingering; loitering; slow and dragging.

   lagging steps.

lagging ² American  

[lag-ing] / ˈlæg ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of covering a boiler, oil tank, etc., with heat-insulating material.

2. the covering formed.

3. the material used.

4. a number of boards or the like joined together side by side to line an excavation.

5. Masonry. a number of lags, taken as a whole.

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lagging British  

/ ˈlæɡɪŋ /

noun

1. insulating material wrapped around pipes, boilers, etc, or laid in a roof loft, to prevent loss of heat

2. the act or process of applying lagging

3. a wooden frame used to support an arch during construction

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Other Word Forms

• laggingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of lagging¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; lag ¹ + -ing ¹, -ing ² ( def. )

Origin of lagging²

First recorded in 1850–55; lag ³ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The energy sector is on the rise after lagging behind the S&P 500’s strong performance over the past three years.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite its ambitions, Amazon is lagging well behind its own timeline.

From MarketWatch

She argued that the UK is lagging behind other nations when it comes to offering consular services, pointing to France as an example of what can be achieved with better diplomatic pressure.

From BBC

And there were no lagging or buffering issues.

From Salon

Their ensuing rally could be one of the more spectacular ones since the Russell 2000 has been on an unusual losing streak, lagging behind the S&P 500 for 10 of the past 12 years.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• underdeveloped