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 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 Ticket availability is scant as of this writing, don’t dawdle (with Jon Muq. — Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dawdle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawdle

Verb

When that first weekend closure did happen, Sunday night rain did not delay the lanes’ opening early Monday.

— Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 19 July 2026
The midfielder was deemed to have delayed a restart by throwing the ball away.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 19 July 2026

Definition of delay

Verb

Video of the confrontation appears to show Nelson idling in a snowy strip mall parking lot in his gray Dodge Ram when another driver in an even larger pickup pulls in beside him.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
One aspect that contributed to the gridlock was a number of Waymo's self-driving robotaxis idling on the road as traffic officials tried to remedy the halt in traffic.

— Noe Padilla, USA Today, 10 July 2026

Definition of idle

Verb

The floods drew attention to still unhealed wounds — and lingering regrets.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
But perhaps the performance that lingers most in our minds is that of Elliot Page, 39, who in just a few short scenes anchors the film with his guileless sincerity and righteous anger.

— Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 July 2026

Definition of linger

Verb

For shade from Rome’s blistering sun, avoid the city center and stroll through the gardens of Villa Borghese or the Giardino Degli Aranci.

— The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2026
Visitors can also see more wildlife while strolling along the dunes.

— Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026

Definition of stroll

Verb

Tents As a teenager, crawling into a small A-frame tent was a rite of passage.

— Clay Abney, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2026
With fervent editing, careful scene geography, and assured direction, the walk before the run can be tense enough to send viewers crawling out of their seats, willing the fugitive onscreen to get a move on already.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 July 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

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
The sense of just how much there is to do in this part of the world—the length of the scale between lazing and becoming ultra-active—is palpable.

— Lauren Keith, Robb Report, 30 May 2026

Definition of laze

Verb

The untethered AUVs hover above the seabed instead of dragging equipment across it, reducing sediment disturbance and limiting ecosystem disruption.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
Overall, the plan is on par with a request the White House submitted to Congress last month, as the Iran war drags past four months.

— Kevin Freking, Fortune, 15 July 2026

Definition of drag

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“Dawdle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdle. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of dawdle

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