dawdled; dawdling
ˈdȯ-dliŋ 
-dᵊl-iŋ
1
: to spend time idly
… dawdled about in the vestibule …—
Jane Austen
Jane Austen2
: to move lackadaisically
"I don't want you dawdling while you making deliveries for Mrs. Ford."—Connie Porter
Connie Porter
: to spend fruitlessly or lackadaisically
dawdled the day away
Synonyms
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
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
Faster pit stops could also help unlock sales for electric two-wheelers, which have been slow to catch on due to dawdling charge times and limited riding range.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2023
Haley, again, dawdling, eyes downcast, face leaden with despair, emerged.
—Benjamin Hale, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
McIlroy, who noted that the precise timing of a swing can be the difference between a ball rocketing 20 yards to the left or 20 yards to the right, has hardly dawdled on his pursuit of a fix.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 16 May 2023
My first half-hour is spent pottering through tranquil Cotswold villages, trapped behind dawdling tourists but enjoying the Aston Martin’s supple ride and easygoing docility—along with the many approving looks—though feeling ever more like a caged animal.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 10 May 2023
See More
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
Faster pit stops could also help unlock sales for electric two-wheelers, which have been slow to catch on due to dawdling charge times and limited riding range.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2023
Haley, again, dawdling, eyes downcast, face leaden with despair, emerged.
—Benjamin Hale, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
McIlroy, who noted that the precise timing of a swing can be the difference between a ball rocketing 20 yards to the left or 20 yards to the right, has hardly dawdled on his pursuit of a fix.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 16 May 2023
My first half-hour is spent pottering through tranquil Cotswold villages, trapped behind dawdling tourists but enjoying the Aston Martin’s supple ride and easygoing docility—along with the many approving looks—though feeling ever more like a caged animal.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 10 May 2023
See More
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
Dictionary Entries Near dawdle
Cite this Entry
“Dawdle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawdle. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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