1
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
2
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dawdle
Instead, season three of The White Lotus dawdles too long, trying to save too much of the good stuff for the end.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Past Republican presidents were content to dawdle on tax cuts and entitlement reform, but Trump, understanding that the values of America are communicated through its art and entertainment, has instead sought to impose his fairly common and generally decent tastes on popular culture.
—Peter Tonguette, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
Players dawdled on the ball in key moments, hesitant to make mistakes.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Skelly secured the Obama Administration’s commitment to buy his energy, but in the course of a decade the project slowly collapsed, as state powers dawdled and eventually refused to issue the necessary permits.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dawdle
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Past Republican presidents were content to dawdle on tax cuts and entitlement reform, but Trump, understanding that the values of America are communicated through its art and entertainment, has instead sought to impose his fairly common and generally decent tastes on popular culture.
—Peter Tonguette, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 Mar. 2025
Players dawdled on the ball in key moments, hesitant to make mistakes.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Skelly secured the Obama Administration’s commitment to buy his energy, but in the course of a decade the project slowly collapsed, as state powers dawdled and eventually refused to issue the necessary permits.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dawdle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawdle
Verb
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Democratic state lawmakers are still attempting to delay efforts from Republicans who are trying to redraw Texas’ 38 congressional districts, which could help Republicans pick up as many as five seats in the House of Representatives.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
5 Aug. 2025
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But the judge walked back that suggestion in his order that denied the defense’s request to delay Kohberger’s trial.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Even as Andrew James McGann sits in jail accused of the ghastly double murder of parents on a hike at a state park in the Ozark Mountains, key questions linger about the motive.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
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Debt from a 2018 restructuring lingered and mall traffic, especially in secondary locations, continued to decline.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Shop and stroll Pier Park’s open-air district, where flagship stores mingle with unique boutiques, live entertainment, and waterfront dining.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Aug. 2025
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Make your way up to the college town of New Paltz and eat, shop, stroll and experience some of the most vivid, colorful foliage the East coast has to offer.—
Josh Max,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Adam crawls along the floor, left, about to put his finger in an electrical outlet, right, while his baby watches from afar.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
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This setup enabled the robots to crawl using sequential contractions and relaxation—much like a caterpillar.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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It is hoped that motorists will leave their vehicles at home, avoid idling their engines or using drive-thru lanes, and instead use public transport or car shares to lessen the impact on the environment.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 July 2025
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The truck idled for three minutes, then four minutes, then five.—
Clare Sestanovich,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
Verb
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One person would hold the rod and drag ashore a thrashing, 200-pound sawfish.—
Jack Prator,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Aug. 2025
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In doing so, the currents drag swimmers out into open waters.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Just this week in Overland Park, foxes have been spotted sitting on driveways in the early hours of the morning and lazing about in lush backyards in the afternoon.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
16 July 2025
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These increasingly crazed visitors spend their days lazing on the shore, drinking and eating, carousing with prostitutes, and abusing Rosa (played by B-movie actress Leonora Fani, who would also star in the equally notorious vacation film Giallo in Venice) for their own entertainment.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
Verb
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The premiere episode was a hot topic not only among viewership and the media but within the White House as Parker and Stone brutally poked fun at President Donald Trump in both animated and live-action deepfake form.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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One video captured by beachgoers Annie Kremer and Connor Pelt and shared on TikTok shows the animals coming within feet of people standing in the sand, and the shark's fins poking out above the water as the massive stingray juts into view.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dawdle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdle. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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