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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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

Footwear also took a distinctly feminine direction this season, with embellishment playing a major role.

— Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
This was apparent recently when a judge in Louisiana ruled that players who signed NFL contracts over the summer could return to play their fifth college season at LSU.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of play

Verb

Wallace lingered in the car for a few minutes once slowing to a stop, though — long enough for health workers to unload a stretcher that Wallace ultimately didn’t use.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026
While Beverly Hills and West Hollywood bounced back after the pandemic, Santa Monica continues to struggle with retail vacancies and lingering economic woes.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of linger

Verb

Drummond flirted with a preseason triple-double and posted eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in 20 minutes.

— Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
Representations and Acknowledgements • Saeed and Molly, the two other junior associates at Taylor & Byrne, seem to be scoping out Johnny for their own uses; Molly, for her part, has already activated some light flirting.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of flirt

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

At least 75 data center projects worth more than $130 billion total were delayed or cancelled in the first three months of this year, according to a Data Center Watch report published in June.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
By the time the architectural plans were finished, COVID hit, and Hotel Lucile was further delayed.

— Mickey Rapkin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of delay

Verb

Others idled at the edge of the firelight while the red lights of a surveillance blimp blinked over the mountains to the east.

— Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2026
But every watt lost to idle draw while a cooler cycles, or to low-power conversion while a light stays on, is energy already paid for and carried, but never used.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of idle

Verb

Dozens of locations in the central and southern US will soar to record high temperatures on Tuesday, but the incoming front will drag those highs down by more than 30 degrees in many locales by Friday or Saturday.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
As the comet rotates, fresh ice enters the sunlight and sublimates; the escaping gas then drags entrained dust particles away from the nucleus.

— Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 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

Browse Nearby Words

dallies

dally

dallying

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Style

“Dally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dally. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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