The title says it all really. M-W says procrastinate is both transitive and intransitive. Intransitive I’ve no trouble with, but I can’t come up with a transitive example.
And just in case this question seems trivial I preemptively play my “English isn’t my first language”-card.
I don’t think many people use it in the transitive form - I can’t think of a case, except perhaps where the direct object is a gerand - “To procrastinate leaving”. Would that count?
Maybe it’s an archaic usage that’s gone out of style?
That what it looked like once I thought of just googling it…
The Oxford English Dictionary has transitive examples from 1553 (“Take heede therefore, that by procrastinating repentance . . . thou wittinglie and of purpose, doo not tempt the Lord”) through to 2006 (“This issue has been procrastinated for six months”). An 1816 example from Austen’s Emma is offered (“Incapable of procrastinating any evil”).
If it’s good enough for Jane Austen, it’s good enough for me.
Are we looking at ways to get around the pit rules again?
I’m procrastinating all sorts of direct objects right now.
The standard transitive verb to convey this idea is “postpone”, although that doesn’t have the negative connotation of “procrastinate” – the only transitive word or phrase I can think of right now which does convey this, “put off”, shouldn’t be used in more formal contexts.
“Procrastinate” as a transitive might have worked for Jane Austen, but it sounds simply incorrect to most native English ears today.
I came here to hear people’s opinion on whether the word could be used as a transitive verb. I was going to write: “Laziness and indecision procrastinated me from (doing something)” Does it sound acceptable?
To me it sounds overly archaic.
No, it sounds wrong to me. Procrastinate, the transitive verb, means to postpone, put off or defer. So when it takes an object, the object is the thing postponed, put off or deferred, not the person who does the putting off or deferring. So laziness and indecision prevented you from [completing your tax return] when you should have, or led you to procrastinate [completing your tax return].
If you can substitute the word “postpone,” then it’s OK. “Laziness and indecision postponed me from (doing something)” sounds wrong too.
Just say “I was lazy and indecisive, and didn’t (verb).” “Lazy and indecisive/procrastinate” seems redundant.
It’s better to use the fewest syllables necessary to say what you want to say.
Actually, I guess “I procrastinated (something)” is even shorter, but it conveys less information.