Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - lag

(lags, lagging, lagged) 1. If one thing or person lags behind another thing or person, their progress is slower than that of the other. Britain still lags behind most of Europe in its provisions for women who want time off to have babies... The restructuring of the pattern of consumption in Britain also lagged behind... He now lags 10 points behind the champion... A poll for the Observer showed Labour on 39 per cent with the Tories lagging a point behind... Hague was lagging badly in the polls. VERB: V behind n, V behind, V amount behind n, V amount behind, V 2. A time lag or a lag of a particular length of time is a period of time between one event and another related event. There’s a time lag between infection with HIV and developing AIDS... Price rises have matched rises in the money supply with a lag of two or three months. N-COUNT: with supp 3. If you lag the inside of a roof, a pipe, or a water tank, you cover it with a special material in order to prevent heat escaping from it or to prevent it from freezing. (mainly BRIT) If you have to take the floorboards up, take the opportunity to lag any pipes at the same time... Water tanks should be well lagged and the roof well insulated. VERB: V n, V n see also lagging