Synonyms of dally

dally

verb

ˈda-lē 

1

as in to play

to engage in activity for amusement

he spent his college years dallying, seemingly determined to acquire as little knowledge as possible

Synonyms & Similar Words

• play
• frolic
• entertain
• toy
• amuse
• sport
• recreate
• disport
• relax
• rollick
• joke
• please
• cavort
• romp
• trifle
• delight
• skylark
• dabble
• gambol
• frisk
• dawdle
• hang
• rest
• divert
• tease
• idle
• lounge (around or about)
• bum (around)
• putter (around)
• fiddle (around)
• jest
• loaf
• hang about
• slack (off)
• screw around
• goldbrick
• mess around

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• work
• slave
• toil
• strive
• struggle
• labor
• plug (away)
• sweat
• strain
• plod
• drudge

2

as in to linger

to move or act slowly

don't dally on the way to the interview

Synonyms & Similar Words

• linger
• delay
• drag
• crawl
• poke
• loiter
• dawdle
• stroll
• diddle
• play
• mope
• creep
• lollygag
• mark time
• tarry
• lag
• fall behind
• lallygag
• dillydally
• shilly-shally
• drop behind
• shuffle
• stall
• stagger
• hang fire
• lounge
• idle
• drag one's heels
• trifle
• take one's time
• saunter
• drag one's feet
• amble
• fool around
• putter (around)
• hang (around or out)
• fiddle (around)
• monkey (around)
• loll
• potter (around)
• loaf
• temporize
• inch
• mess around
• decelerate
• plod
• procrastinate
• slow (down or up)
• lumber
• ease
• filibuster

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hurry
• rush
• course
• hasten
• scurry
• run
• fly
• race
• speed
• career
• tear
• whirl
• whisk
• rocket
• scoot
• bolt
• rip
• dash
• zip
• dart
• breeze
• barrel
• run
• scud
• gallop
• scramble
• trot
• hustle
• stampede
• hurtle
• whiz
• jog
• hotfoot (it)
• hump
• whizz
• accelerate
• quicken
• sprint
• speed (up)
• overtake
• outstrip
• catch up
• bowl
• outrun
• outpace
• fast-forward

3

as in to flirt

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

• flirt
• trifle
• coquette
• toy
• coquet
• frivol
• woo
• mess around
• vamp
• play (with)
• tease
• fool
• lead on
• mash
• razz
• court
• rib
• put on
• kid
• string along
• manipulate
• josh

4

as in to lazy

to spend time doing nothing

I kept dallying at my desk until I couldn't put off doing my work any longer

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lazy
• dawdle
• idle
• bum
• dillydally
• stroll
• lounge
• play
• laze
• hang (around or out)
• chill
• goof (off)
• loll
• linger
• hack (around)
• veg out
• relax
• loaf
• rest
• kick back
• hang about
• muck
• kill time
• poke
• drone
• footle
• loiter
• piddle
• trifle
• mess
• kick around
• twiddle one's thumbs
• fool
• monkey
• mosey
• putter (around)
• doze
• fiddle (around)
• aestivate
• amble
• saunter
• potter (around)
• tarry
• malinger
• lag
• hibernate
• estivate
• truant
• goldbrick
• swan
• furlough

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slave
• work
• toil
• plod
• labor
• plow
• grind
• plug
• sweat
• hustle
• apply
• drudge
• moil
• peg
• buckle (down)
• exert
• grub
• hump
• put out
• travail

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dally different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of dally are dawdle, delay, lag, loiter, and procrastinate. While all these words mean "to move or act slowly so as to fall behind," dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

When would delay be a good substitute for dally?

While in some cases nearly identical to dally, delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).

we cannot delay any longer

Where would lag be a reasonable alternative to dally?

Although the words lag and dally have much in common, lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

How do loiter and dawdle relate to one another, in the sense of dally?

Both 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

When can procrastinate be used instead of dally?

While the synonyms procrastinate and dally are close in meaning, procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

procrastinates about making decisions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dally

With the ball loose in midfield, Southampton’s Flynn Downes dallied on the halfway line, stuck in two minds over whether to push to win possession or retreat into his own half. —Elias Burke, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024

As is so often the case for Hong, his latest is a gentle, hypnotically watchable film that breezes by as Iris does herself, dallying around Seoul in a loose summer dress and her striking bright-green cardigan. —David Opie, IndieWire, 21 Nov. 2024

This is no time for the dilly-dallying dog days of August. —Tim Britton, The Athletic, 15 Aug. 2024

The Dodgers were dallying in Scott's trade market before he was sent to the San Diego Padres along with reliever Bryan Hoeing for four minor league players. —David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025

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