1
as in delayed
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 lazied
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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Recent Examples of dawdled
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
Fava snuffled and dawdled and took her own sweet time up the sidewalk.
—Dan Kois, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
Thomas Black, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025
Fava snuffled and dawdled and took her own sweet time up the sidewalk.
—Dan Kois, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawdled
Verb
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Check subscriptions, compare a few price quotes, and choose quality over clutter, especially if your budget talks keep getting delayed or mixed between emails and texts.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
-
American Airlines is telling you why your flight is delayed.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The process of getting back to ace form lingered through the first half of the Miami Marlins’ 2025 season.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
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Strong high atmospheric pressure, which typically doesn’t form with as much strength until late spring or early summer, lingered for a large part of the month, bringing lots of sunshine, consistently above-average temperatures and very little rainfall.—
Anthony Franze,
San Antonio Express-News,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nearby, people and their dogs who had moved into the shelter for the duration of the war lounged on air mattresses, scrolling through their phones.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Just days after hard-launching her relationship with French filmmaker Romain Gavras, EmRata lounged in a plunging plush white robe while wearing nothing but some sparkling loud luxury accessories.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Video shows Dave Tauer's truck windows being smashed by agents who dragged him from his vehicle.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
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As a result, he was allowed to walk free after having already served the length of his jail sentence while the case dragged on.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On Monday, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker strolled to the mound in the fifth inning to tell his pitcher Carter Baumler something.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Madison Booker set the Longhorns' scoring record for the NCAA Tournament as Texas shook off an early test from Oregon and strolled to 100-58 victory at Moody Center.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.—
Ryan Morik , Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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The mood inside the terminal was calm as the snaking line crawled forward.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Further on, sandy-colored cows lazed in the mid-morning sun.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Thorns forward poked the ball through and Ball kicked her leg into Wilson’s path, taking her down inside the box.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
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Since then, the president has repeatedly poked at the vulnerability.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dawdled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdled. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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