Procrastinate

/prəˈkræs.tɪ.neɪt/

Meaning & Definition

verb
to delay or postpone action; to put off doing something.
Many students tend to procrastinate when it comes to writing their term papers.
to defer an event or action to a later time.
She procrastinated on her errands until she had no time left in the day.
to be slow or late in doing something.
He tends to procrastinate when faced with difficult decisions.

Etymology

From Latin 'procrastinare', from 'pro-' (forward) + 'crastinus' (of tomorrow)

Common Phrases and Expressions

put off until tomorrow
to delay something that could be done today
kick the can down the road
to postpone a decision or action
drag one's feet
to be deliberately slow in doing something

Related Words

procrastination
the action of delaying or postponing something
procrastinator
a person who procrastinates
delaying
causing something to happen at a later time

Slang Meanings

putting it off
I keep putting it off until I run out of time.
hitting snooze on life
He's always hitting snooze on life instead of taking action.