Meaning & use

procrastinate

verb·Academic

To delay doing something that needs to be done, often by doing less important things instead.

See it in a sentence

He tends to procrastinate on big assignments until the night before they're due.

She scrolled through her phone to procrastinate instead of starting her taxes.

A note on using this word

Procrastinate implies avoiding a task despite knowing it should be done, not simply postponing it for a good reason.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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