dawdle

play

verb daw·dle \ˈdȯ-d^əl\

Definition of dawdle

dawdled

;

dawdling

play \ˈdȯ-dliŋ, -d^əl-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

play \ˈdȯ-dlər, -d^əl-ər\ noun

See dawdle defined for English-language learners

See dawdle defined for kids

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 of dawdle from the Web

The Legislature used to embarrass itself nearly every summer by fuming and fussing over a budget, dawdling far into the new fiscal year without a spending plan.

— george skelton, latimes.com, "This California budget gimmick stinks," 19 June 2017
Melania can dawdle in New York waiting for her son to finish the school year.

— caitlin flanagan, The Cut, "Ivanka Trump is hard at work in Washington — but for whom?," 14 May 2017
Paul Zukunft, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, warned Russia was building up a huge military and industrial presence in the region while the United States dawdled.

— chicagotribune.com, "U.S. Coast Guard chief warns of Russian 'checkmate' in Arctic," 4 May 2017
Gormley won this year’s Santa Anita Derby in a less-than-scintillating 1:51.16 for the mile and an eighth — the slowest running of the West Coast’s major Kentucky Derby prep since 1957 when Sir William dawdled home in 1:54.20.

— staff report, Orange County Register, "Wednesday’s Kentucky Derby draw might not favor California horses," 2 May 2017
As a child, Costa would dawdle in the deep gutters lining the streets near her home, the cool, mucky water providing her momentary pain relief.

— erika hayasaki, WIRED, "How a Single Gene Could Become a Volume Knob for Pain," 18 Apr. 2017
Through the haze of scheming and months of posturing, dawdling and resistance, what has emerged is a snapshot of how the owners align.

— ken belson, New York Times, "With N.F.L. Relocation Fates in Owners’ Hands, the Games Begin," 12 Jan. 2016
Machinist dawdled in the parking lot, conferring with the factotum.

— michael wolff, WIRED, "Bonfire of the Securities," 1 June 1998

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dawdle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dawdle

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1656

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

DAWDLE Defined for English Language Learners

dawdle

play

verb

Definition of dawdle for English Language Learners

: to move or act too slowly

DAWDLE Defined for Kids

dawdle

play

verb daw·dle \ˈdȯ-d^əl\

Definition of dawdle for Students

dawdled

;

dawdling

1 : to spend time wastefully : dally He couldn't afford to dawdle. He was way behind the others … — Louis Sachar, Holes
2 : to move slowly and without purpose Don't dawdle in the hall.