1
as in delayed
to move or act slowly
if you continue to dawdle, we'll be late for sure
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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
-
Voter turnout was high for a primary election, and a significant share of voters cast ballots on or after Election Day, likely because many delayed making a decision in the governor’s race.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
-
The Council deadlocked, 6-6, on that vote, delayed a vote on the budget last week due to concerns with the amendment process, and appeared to still be divided on Monday, with little consensus reached by the end of the five-hour working session.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
In the first slide, Olive rested on Benson’s chest as the two lounged on a sofa on a sunny day, looking at the camera.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
-
Her figures lounged, stood, or in one instance danced in unadorned, nearly empty interiors composed with broad, feathery brushstrokes.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The late Luke Perry only appeared on one episode of Criminal Minds, but his character’s presence lingered long after he was gone.—
Rachel LaBonte,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
-
In the compound, the influence of the Tates’ father lingered.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Liv announced, as Smith strolled onstage, a surprise that nobody saw coming.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
-
Along First Street, fashionable young couples and wealthy empty nesters strolled by sidewalk pergolas.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Although Schwarze ultimately prevailed, the party’s divisions were on display as the endorsement battle dragged on through six ballots.—
Jay Gabler,
Twin Cities,
30 May 2026
-
But as his contentious divorce and custody battle against Jolie dragged on, reports emerged in 2021 that Maddox had testified in the case.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Further on, sandy-colored cows lazed in the mid-morning sun.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
The truck driver crawled to the side of the road and the gunman fled.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The show’s characters idled away their time watching programs like Years of Our Days to Live.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
In fact, Airbus was collecting orders and making deliveries while Boeing idled due to the bans and delays imposed by the CAAC.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dawdled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdled. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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