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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Slot’s focus on possession-dominance is not to say that his team dawdles on the ball. Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 26 Apr. 2024 Ukrainian officials dawdled on implementing U.S.-proposed reforms to increase civilian control of the military, expand professional military education, and clean up the corrupt defense procurement system. Polina Beliakova, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2023 His fingers dawdled over my remedies, but his gaze was locked on my face. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2024 Outside Parliament, a small cluster of policemen were dawdling on the sidewalk. Nadia Beard, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dawdle 

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 9 Dec. 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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