Procrastinate - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT procrastinate /proʊˈkræstɪneɪt/ /prəʊˈkræstɪneɪt/ IPA guide

Other forms: procrastinating; procrastinated; procrastinates

Procrastinate means to put off doing something until a future time. When people sit down to write term papers, they can find all kinds of clever ways to procrastinate: reorganizing the paperclips, calling everyone they know, typing "I am bored" fifty times in a row.

The verb procrastinate is from Latin prōcrāstināre, from prō- "forward" plus crāstinus "of tomorrow," from crās "tomorrow." Some synonyms are defer, postpone, and delay, though these words often apply to more positive reasons for inaction. The reason for procrastination is often assumed to be laziness, or just that the task or action is unpleasant and difficult to begin.

Definitions of procrastinate

verb postpone doing what one should be doing “He did not want to write the letter and procrastinated for days” synonyms: dilly-dally, dillydally, drag one's feet, drag one's heels, shilly-shally, shillyshally, stall see moresee less type of: delay act later than planned, scheduled, or required
verb postpone or delay needlessly “He procrastinated the matter until it was almost too late” see moresee less type of: delay act later than planned, scheduled, or required dilly-dally, dillydally, drag one's feet, drag one's heels, shilly-shally, shillyshally, stall postpone doing what one should be doing

Pronunciation US /proʊˈkræstɪneɪt/ UK /prəʊˈkræstɪneɪt/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘procrastinate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family

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