dawdles

verb

present tense third-person singular of dawdle
1
as in lingers
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 lazes
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

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 dawdles But Koreeda dawdles over all that without ever finding much dramatic nuance, making for a dullish midsection. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026 But while the new movie dawdles on its way to Toxie’s origins, then rushes toward a finale with a lurching rhythm that verges on calculated ineptitude, its spirit never feels inauthentic. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawdles
  1. lingers
  2. idles
  3. delays
  4. relaxes
  5. drags
  6. rests
  7. crawls
  8. strolls
Verb
  • Afternoon highs on Friday are expected to be a much cooler 57 degrees as a 40% chance of rainfall lingers in the area.
    — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026
  • That rinse-clean standard matters for anyone worried about buildup, since a scalp oil that lingers after washing can leave hair looking greasy rather than nourished.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of lingers
Verb
  • As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of idles
Verb
  • Unexcused absences in three consecutive elections freeze tax IDs, block nonvoters from applying to state jobs, hinders loans from state banks, and delays the issuance of passports.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • One medium-sized apple has 4 grams of fiber, including soluble fiber, which delays sugar absorption into the bloodstream.
    — Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of delays
Verb
  • Corcoran relaxes with Max in the library on a circa 1900 French iron daybed settee from Fireside Antiques in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
    — David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Once normal breathing resumes, parasympathetic influence increases, and the body relaxes big time.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of relaxes
Verb
  • Try to keep that in mind the next time your kid drags you to some terrible Star Wars thing that nobody asked for.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The deadpan family comedy follows a 63-year-old man who drags nine relatives on a one-day tour of nine temples after a fortune teller warns that his mother will soon die.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of drags
Verb
  • When the removal cannot be measured directly, the credibility of each credit rests on the model used to calculate it.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • And 2026’s biggest Halloween nail trend—a spider nail art manicure—rests in the perfect place between the two.
    — Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of rests
Verb
  • There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawls
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Vision loses control of Ultron’s prison, and Ultron strolls free.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • When Denny strolls in, his parents figure out the mistake, their relief tested by the kidnapper’s insistence that the ransom remains the same.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of strolls

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Cite this Entry

“Dawdles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdles. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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