Definition of "time-lag" [time-lag]

• The interval of time between the application of a force and the effect: said of recording instruments in which the inertia of moving parts causes a certain retardation of action, of electromagnets in which the full magnetization lags behind the magnetizing force, and of all cases in which the response to any stimulus follows the latter after an appreciable interval. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "Of course it takes time, and there's always a time-lag, a gap between public awareness and pressure, and a shift in policy."
• "The time-lag involved in each introduced an element of risk."
• "In the past the gap between the figures has been attributed to time-lag differences."