dally with
phrasal verb
dallied with; dallying with; dallies with
1
: to do or think about (something) in a way that is not serious
He's been dallying with the idea of running for office.
2
old-fashioned
: to have a casual romantic or sexual relationship with (someone)
a married man who has been dallying with another woman
Examples of dally with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Catherine refused to do chores, stole from her relatives, and frequently ran away to dally with young men.
—
Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025
Loti based his book on his own experiences as a military officer who dallied with local women during his stopovers in Japan.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024
And the Green Bay Packers, playing the role of a merry divorcé post-Aaron Rodgers trade, dallied with new playmakers.
—Mike Tanier, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2023
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Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025
Loti based his book on his own experiences as a military officer who dallied with local women during his stopovers in Japan.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024
And the Green Bay Packers, playing the role of a merry divorcé post-Aaron Rodgers trade, dallied with new playmakers.
—Mike Tanier, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Dally with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dally%20with. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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