DALLY Synonyms: 190 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

dally

verb

ˈda-lē

Definition of dally

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to linger

to move or act slowly don't dally on the way to the interview

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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

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as in to dawdle

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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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

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.

Recent Examples of dally The full-backs, meanwhile, took their time from throw-ins, ensuring team-mates behind the ball were secure and Emiliano Martinez, who produced a second spellbinding save in as many visits to Nottingham, dallied from goal kicks. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 1 May 2026 But there is no need to dally, or shouldn’t be, on the question of who will record the next James Bond theme. — Chris Willman, Variety, 5 Mar. 2026 While deleterious when recurring over the course of a lifetime, dilly-dallying can kill even quicker on a basketball court. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025 Arsenal need only look at title rivals Liverpool to see the dangers of dallying. — James McNicholas, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dally

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dally

Verb

Her Eras show doc lost its awards last weekend, and the Chiefs play the Broncos tonight, but that didn’t stop people from speculating.

— Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
The only—passing—exception is the man who plays Calamawy’s young colleague at one point; and his lines seem to be dubbed with the help of AI.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of play

Verb

Gvardiol looked jittery early on, rallied a little to break up some dangerous Porto attacks, but then started giving the ball away again and was booked for a needless pull after being caught dawdling in possession.

— Thom Harris, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Don’t dawdle, though, as the air temperature in the room or your warm hand on the glass can transfer their thermal energy to melt the rest of the ice and then begin to raise the temperature of your drink!

— Matthew Koss, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of dawdle

Verb

Some of that January increase reflects workers who secured jobs during the final months of the previous year but delayed their start dates.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pouring billions of dollars into developing a domestic tech ecosystem under his Vision 2030 program, even as some mega-projects are delayed.

— Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of delay

Verb

Working with Nic was like driving a Lamborghini that could shift from unbreakable speed to idling like a purring lioness.

— Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
The Brampton Assembly Plant, which was previously slated to build the Jeep Compass before Stellantis moved the product out of Canada in 2025 to avoid tariffs, has been idled since 2023.

— Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of idle

Verb

And my sister dragged me to Loulu, the café-market with an Erewhon collaboration and Cosmic Bliss soft-serve, a lovely afternoon fix for those of us on the East Coast without an Erewhon.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Sep. 2026
Potelle’s home — like many others’ — remains contaminated as disputes with her insurance company drag on.

— Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of drag

Verb

The joy Lisa has with her RHUGT cast compared with the dread her RHOSLC cast seems to bring her really bums me out — especially because of how much of this trip is championing the sisterhood of Housewives.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
My conversation partner returned, somehow unable to bum even a single cigarette from anyone at this party.

— Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 July 2026

Definition of bum

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dallies

dally

dallying

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“Dally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dally. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dally

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