procrastinate
Say it: pruh-KRAS-tih-nayt /prəˈkræstəneɪt/ · verb
What “procrastinate” means
Keep putting off something you should be doing.
More precisely: To keep delaying something you should be doing.
Example: “I procrastinate less when I promise myself just five minutes on the task.”
When to use it
When someone keeps avoiding a task they ought to start. Common in everyday talk, often with a rueful or teasing tone.
Memory trick
Latin cras means tomorrow: picture pushing today's task into tomorrow again and again.
Similar words
delay, stall, put off
Where it comes from
From Latin procrastinare, from cras, "tomorrow."
Quick check
You need to write an application, but keep watching videos and promising to start later. What do you do?
procrastinate or prioritise?
Show the answer
procrastinate
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