dawdle

verb

daw·​dle ˈdȯ-dᵊl How to pronounce dawdle (audio)
dawdled; dawdling ˈdȯ-dliŋ How to pronounce dawdle (audio)
-dᵊl-iŋ

intransitive verb

1
: to spend time idly
dawdled about in the vestibule …Jane Austen
2
: to move lackadaisically
"I don't want you dawdling while you making deliveries for Mrs. Ford."Connie Porter

transitive verb

: to spend fruitlessly or lackadaisically
dawdled the day away
dawdler
ˈdȯ-dlər How to pronounce dawdle (audio)
-dᵊl-ər
noun
Choose the Right Synonym for dawdle

delay, procrastinate, lag, loiter, dawdle, dally mean to move or act slowly so as to fall behind.

delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).

we cannot delay any longer

procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

procrastinates about making decisions

lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

loiter and dawdle imply delay while in progress, especially in walking, but dawdle more clearly suggests an aimless wasting of time.

loitered at several store windows
children dawdling on their way home from school

dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

Examples of dawdle in a Sentence

Hurry up! There's no time to dawdle. Come home immediately after school, and don't dawdle.
Recent Examples on the Web The government submitted the NATO applications of Finland and Sweden to the Parliament in July 2022, but dawdled on putting them to a vote. Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Poor Things' star and Academy favorite Emma Stone, however, rocked the narrative with her off-kilter work in Yorgos Lanthimos' peculiar emotional epic, charting her Frankenstein-esque character's evolution from dawdling infant to fully realized feminist. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024 And remember, that’s only after the Trump organization was convicted of tax felonies in an earlier New York state criminal trial — the amounts were trivial, but the media–Democrat script will be to repeat the word felony and not dawdle over the details. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 16 Jan. 2024 Advertisement When the horses eventually broke from the gate, Zenyatta, as usual, dawdled. Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2023 Then one player went the wrong way coming out of the huddle, while a teammate dawdled. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2023 But in the capital, Friday seemed to dawdle a bit in demonstrating the season’s sparkling essence. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2023 Alabama history is built on temper tantrums, active defiance of rules, dawdling, argumentativeness, stubbornness, or being easily annoyed. John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 8 Sep. 2023 Admitting that and taking a break for a fun activity might actually waste less of your time than dawdling. Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dawdle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dawdle was circa 1656

Dictionary Entries Near dawdle

Cite this Entry

“Dawdle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawdle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dawdle

verb
daw·​dle ˈdȯd-ᵊl How to pronounce dawdle (audio)
dawdled; dawdling ˈdȯd-liŋ How to pronounce dawdle (audio)
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to spend time wastefully or idly : linger
dawdled over her homework
2
: to move slowly and aimlessly : loiter
dawdled on the way back
3
: idle entry 2 sense 1
dawdle the time away
dawdler
ˈdȯd-lər How to pronounce dawdle (audio)
-ᵊl-ər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dawdle

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