dallies

Definition of dalliesnext
present tense third-person singular of dally
1
2
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

4

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dallies
Verb
  • Clark, 24, who plays guard for the Indiana Fever, showed her support via a brief message in the post’s comments section.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Romvari herself grew up on an island in British Columbia, and the natural landscape plays a significant role in her movie’s textures and tones.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • That anticipation for Season 3, premiering Sunday, still lingers for Fletcher, though it’s tempered now by doubt and distance, thanks to a four-year gap between seasons.
    Precious Fondren, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The active pattern lingers, with additional chances for showers and storms on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
    Nelly Carreno, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • While waiting for flights to resume, Charli’s character Bethany flirts with the idea of blowing up her life by rekindling a romance with an old friend who owns a flower shop in Warsaw.
    Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Delivered with an ease that flirts with comedy, it can be taken as humor punctuating drama.
    JP Mangalindan, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Trump has issued conflicting and confusing statements about possible talks as the war drags, including extending deadlines for a deal, which might lead Iran to discount his dire new threats.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
  • However, many experts say Dubai’s image as a haven will be in doubt the longer the war drags on.
    Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • 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
Verb
  • That essentially delays the chances of a Fed rate cut for the time being and could result in higher borrowing costs for a series of products, of which mortgages and mortgage refinance loans won't be excluded.
    Matt Richardson, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Refrigeration delays the decay of strawberries.
    Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
  • Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.
    Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
  • In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.
    Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026
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 15 Apr. 2026.

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