DAWDLE Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'dawdle' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of dawdle are dally , delay , lag , loiter , and procrastinate . While all these words mean "to move or act slowly so as to fall behind," 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: Where would 'dally' be a reasonable alternative to 'dawdle'?

The words dally and dawdle can be used in similar contexts, but dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary. // stop dallying and get to work

Q: When might 'delay' be a better fit than 'dawdle'?

The meanings of delay and dawdle largely overlap; however, delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure). // we cannot delay any longer

Q: In what contexts can 'lag' take the place of 'dawdle'?

While in some cases nearly identical to dawdle , lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others. // lagging behind in technology

Q: When is 'procrastinate' a more appropriate choice than 'dawdle'?

The synonyms procrastinate and dawdle are sometimes interchangeable, but procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy. // procrastinates about making decisions

dawdle

verb

ˈdȯ-dᵊl

Definition of dawdle

as in to delay

to move or act slowly if you continue to dawdle, we'll be late for sure

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to lazy

to spend time doing nothing accused the city council of dawdling even as the crime rate was spiraling out of control

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Some common synonyms of dawdle are dally, delay, lag, loiter, and procrastinate. While all these words mean "to move or act slowly so as to fall behind," 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

Where would dally be a reasonable alternative to dawdle?

The words dally and dawdle can be used in similar contexts, but dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

When might delay be a better fit than dawdle?

The meanings of delay and dawdle largely overlap; however, delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).

we cannot delay any longer

In what contexts can lag take the place of dawdle?

While in some cases nearly identical to dawdle, lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

When is procrastinate a more appropriate choice than dawdle?

The synonyms procrastinate and dawdle are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 dawdle But Koreeda dawdles over all that without ever finding much dramatic nuance, making for a dullish midsection. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026 Patriots owner Robert Kraft didn’t dawdle last winter after the Patriots went 4-13 with Maye as their main QB. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026 Flight attendants turned into drill sergeants, barking at passengers who flouted mask rules or dawdled too long eating that snack with the mask off. — Thomas Black, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025 My request to ownership is don’t dawdle. — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dawdle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawdle

Verb

Peterson agreed without hesitation to stay on and help with the funeral, delaying the start of his new position by two weeks.

— Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
While some homeowners like to overseed warm-season lawns with a cool-season grass to keep the lawn green all winter, overseeding a permanent warm-season lawn with cool-season grasses may actually weaken it by delaying next spring’s early growth.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of delay

Verb

Amazon representatives say the drone noise is comparable to an idling delivery truck when close to it, and that cameras cannot be accessed, only serving as a safety measure for flights.

— Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of idle

Verb

But now there’s the lingering unknown amid a fight that can feel endless.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
The film’s cast is mostly made up of tribal non-actors, but Anghlong Konyak is its captivating center, as a man whose stubbornness against change sits alongside a lingering grief over his fading way of life.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of linger

Verb

The colony also has a population of New Zealand fur seals that laze around the rocks frequented by flocks of seabirds.

— Todd Symons, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
The pigs that would soon enough become lunch lazed in the compost-pile mud in front of a five-star-hotel-worthy view of the Cretan Sea.

— Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 July 2026

Definition of laze

Verb

Suki, who had been with her new family only a few weeks, had crawled into an opening in an entertainment center cabinet and could not get out.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
And the weirdness of the blue, blue sky above, while hundreds of men crawl around like ants on the rubble.

— Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

Andrew took the opportunity to relax, laying down on the sofa in the living area.

— Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
Clean, relax and play with this calming bubble bath made from a nontoxic, hypoallergenic and tear-free solution that has been formulated without parabens, sulfates or fragrance.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of relax

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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“Dawdle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdle. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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