dallies

verb

present tense third-person singular of dally
1
as in plays
to engage in activity for amusement he spent his college years dallying, seemingly determined to acquire as little knowledge as possible

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2
as in lingers
to move or act slowly don't dally on the way to the interview

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3
as in flirts
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun she spent the summer dallying with a guy renting the neighboring beach house

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4
as in lazes
to spend time doing nothing I kept dallying at my desk until I couldn't put off doing my work any longer

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dallies
  1. plays
  2. lingers
  3. flirts
  4. dawdles
  5. drags
  6. idles
  7. delays
  8. rests
Verb
  • The rear tire plays a different role from its conventional use on roads.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026
  • But the technology operating above Earth plays an enormous role in everyday life.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of plays
Verb
  • Afternoon highs on Friday are expected to be a much cooler 57 degrees as a 40% chance of rainfall lingers in the area.
    — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026
  • That rinse-clean standard matters for anyone worried about buildup, since a scalp oil that lingers after washing can leave hair looking greasy rather than nourished.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of lingers
Verb
  • Between Jordan’s charm and Misty’s smile that only emerges around him, the film flirts with becoming a romantic comedy.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Hal flirts with Kerry; John has an affair with Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), the wife of William Macon (Garret Dillahunt), a local cattle mogul whose compound has more high tech weaponry than a mere human would seem to need.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of flirts
Verb
  • But Koreeda dawdles over all that without ever finding much dramatic nuance, making for a dullish midsection.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
  • But while the new movie dawdles on its way to Toxie’s origins, then rushes toward a finale with a lurching rhythm that verges on calculated ineptitude, its spirit never feels inauthentic.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Definition of dawdles
Verb
  • Try to keep that in mind the next time your kid drags you to some terrible Star Wars thing that nobody asked for.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The deadpan family comedy follows a 63-year-old man who drags nine relatives on a one-day tour of nine temples after a fortune teller warns that his mother will soon die.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of drags
Verb
  • As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of idles
Verb
  • Unexcused absences in three consecutive elections freeze tax IDs, block nonvoters from applying to state jobs, hinders loans from state banks, and delays the issuance of passports.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • One medium-sized apple has 4 grams of fiber, including soluble fiber, which delays sugar absorption into the bloodstream.
    — Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of delays
Verb
  • When the removal cannot be measured directly, the credibility of each credit rests on the model used to calculate it.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • And 2026’s biggest Halloween nail trend—a spider nail art manicure—rests in the perfect place between the two.
    — Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of rests
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Dallies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dallies. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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