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lag behind

B1 neutral inseparable intransitive
In simple words

To be slower than other people or things, or to not make as much progress as you should.

Literal meaning: 'Lag' means to move slowly, so 'lag behind' transparently means to move slowly while falling behind.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To move or walk more slowly than others, causing a gap to form.

"The younger children began to lag behind as the group hiked up the steep mountain path."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B1 idiomatic neutral

To fail to progress or develop as quickly as others, especially in business, education, or technology.

"The country's manufacturing sector continues to lag behind its Asian competitors."

"We cannot afford to lag behind in the development of clean energy."

— Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, 2011
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Used both literally (physical movement) and figuratively (progress, development, sales figures, etc.). Very common in news and business contexts. The object of comparison is usually introduced with 'behind' itself or in context.

Commonly used with

competitors peers schedule targets economy rest

Forms

Base
lag behind
I/you/we/they
3rd person
lags behind
he/she/it
Past simple
laged behind
yesterday
Past participle
laged behind
have + pp
-ing form
laging behind
continuous

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