stagger
To arrange events or items at different times rather than all at once
Examples
In a meeting
“We should stagger the interviews throughout the week.”
Over coffee
“Let's stagger our lunch breaks so someone's always covering the phone.”
Why this word
offset
Stagger implies intentional spacing over time to avoid overlap or overload
space
Stagger specifically suggests temporal distribution to manage load or timing
delay
Stagger implies coordinated timing of multiple items, not just pushing one thing back
Usage tip
Use when distributing events across time to avoid overload or conflicts
Etymology
Old Norse 'stakra' (to push, stagger), extended to mean arranging in offset positions
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Related words
aggregate
To collect or combine separate items into a single total or group.
anticipate
To expect or predict something and prepare for it accordingly.
delineate
To describe or outline something precisely and clearly.
categorize
Place things into groups based on shared characteristics
compartmentalize
Separate things into distinct sections or categories
unify
To bring together into a single whole or system