How to Use lag in a Sentence

lag

1 of 2 noun
  • That lag is where things fall apart.
    — Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • These calls will be marked by video lags.
    — Glen Weldon, NPR, 14 May 2026
  • On top of all this tech floats a layer of lag.
    — Jason Fried, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
  • The frame rate is low, and there's some lag on the two-way audio.
    — Nena Farrell, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2023
  • Gasoline prices follow those of oil, but with a bit of a lag.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Gasoline prices follow those of oil, but with a bit of a lag.
    — Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026
  • This lag is due to the time required for ground and water to heat up.
    — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 17 June 2026
  • The trip was prompted by a sourcing lag that could not be solved from afar.
    — Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2026
  • There’s a tiny bit of lag between putting the pen on the screen and writing.
    — PC Magazine, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The long lag time can give a false sense of security.
    — Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
  • It should be noted that this slight lag rarely affects other users.
    — Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2024
  • Like some ghastly old lag, ransacking the plans of a bank vault!
    — Literary Hub, 13 Apr. 2026
  • There was a processing lag, and then shock and something like fear.
    — S. C. Cornell, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2023
  • Then there’s the lag time between doing the work and getting paid for it.
    — Travis M. Andrews, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Feb. 2023
  • That means video calls are lag-free and files download instantly.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026
  • But what if that lag could be eliminated?
    — Gowtham Chilakapati, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • The Fed’s own moves over the past year have lag times that are not entirely known.
    — Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2023
  • Even at the enterprise level, cash flow lags.
    — Ashish Srimal, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Bringing their own food would have helped cut down on the midday lag and made more time for the mountain.
    — Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023
  • There are many knotty reasons for the lag in laying new power lines.
    — Aurora Almendral, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Those lower prices show up in the government’s data with a lag.
    — Christopher Rugaber, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Nov. 2023
  • Yet, the Spuds showed no sign of travel lag on their first possession.
    — Frank Rajkowski, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The list is updated frequently, so this is not some sort of lag from days ago.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Gaming also feels snappy thanks to its very low input lag, which is rare at this price.
    — PC Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
  • So don't settle for lag and run to grab this router before the deal disappears.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 11 June 2026
  • So don't settle for lag and run to grab this router before the deal disappears.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 15 June 2026
  • So don't settle for lag and run to grab this router before the deal disappears.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 June 2026
  • So don't settle for lag and run to grab this router before the deal disappears.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 18 June 2026
  • So don't settle for lag and run to grab this router before the deal disappears.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 24 June 2026
  • So don't settle for lag and run to grab this router before the deal disappears.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026

lag

2 of 2 verb
  • Those that lagged paid the price.
    — Bobby Ghosh, Time, 18 Jan. 2026
  • Dick had lagged and was just in front of me.
    — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026
  • At the same time, supply has lagged.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • New York should not lag behind.
    — Michael Gianaris, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2026
  • And then over time, earnings are going to lag.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
  • For its part, the navy has lagged in arms purchases.
    — Germán Padinger, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
  • There will be more rubber stamps on the way, as other shops still lag.
    — Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
  • But some districts have seen adoption lag.
    — CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The sums lag well behind what will likely have to be spent to win the race.
    — Emily Opilo, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2023
  • The strings lag a little behind.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
  • Watch for lagging signals of stress.
    — Paula Davis, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The stock has been lagging even more this year, falling about 3%.
    — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026
  • This Club stock has been lagging as there is no shortage.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The transports have lagged this year, falling 5%.
    — Scott Schnipper, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Instances of stocks lagging gold to this extent are rare.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The biggest culprit was its lagging pace of play.
    — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
  • If his subject has shifted, his methods have lagged.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Yet despite that progress, wealth outcomes still lag behind men.
    — Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
  • In recent elections, Broward turnout has lagged.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
  • But the close still drags, and reporting still lags while the business still waits.
    — Aaron Levine, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
  • Health care has lagged, losing 4% in 2026.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
  • At the same time, governance is lagging.
    — Murugan Anandarajan, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
  • When reskilling efforts lag behind tool adoption?
    — John Schneider, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Yet even modern building codes lag behind the pace of warming.
    — Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
  • On top of that, recovery in prices at the pump lags the recovery in crude prices.
    — Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The district lags behind statewide passing scores.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Health care and real estate lagged the broader market last year.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
  • After shares of the healthcare heavyweight lagged all year, traders are piling in.
    — Eric Wallerstein, WSJ, 14 July 2023
  • Oil and gas stocks led gains, while miners and travel stocks lagged the broader index.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 18 June 2026
  • Duke, meanwhile, lagged behind.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 2 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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