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
• dillydally
• shilly-shally
• drop behind
• shuffle
• stall
• stagger
• hang fire
• idle
• lounge
• trifle
• take one's time
• drag one's feet
• saunter
• amble
• fool around
• putter (around)
• hang (around or out)
• fiddle (around)
• monkey (around)
• loll
• potter (around)
• temporize
• loaf
• 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
• hump
• hotfoot (it)
• 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
• 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
• lounge
• stroll
• 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)
• 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

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

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