1
as in lingers
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 lazes
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
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Recent Examples of dawdles
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
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawdles
Verb
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That image lingers, but modern legal systems operate with far greater cross-border coordination than in decades past.—
Ascend Agency,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
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Tulum has always been a place of ceremony, exchange, and reverence for nature, and that inheritance still lingers in the air.—
Gina Góngora,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.—
Lauran Neergaard,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Mary Lattimore’s harp spangles the background, while Camille Getz drags her violin across the track, a clever acoustic rendering of a classic shoegaze guitar squeal.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
11 Mar. 2026
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There’s a level of helplessness that drags up, being surrounded by AI tools and AI updates and AI jobs, only to be faced with an idiot parent or friend or casual acquaintance using AI to justify their shitty actions towards you.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Don’t be afraid to suggest budget caps for group plans, because everyone relaxes when guidelines are simple and visible.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
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Rising Star in Beverly Hills Gable relaxes on the veranda of his new Beverly Hills rental home in this 1931 photo, which accompanied an article in Screenland magazine.—
Katie Schultz,
Architectural Digest,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the Bay Area slowly — some might say glacially — crawls into spring, there’s nothing better than sipping a hot cup of tea or coffee to warm yourself up.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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As with aftermarket switchable sway bar systems, drivers can lock the sway bars in place for better handling and stability at speed and unlock them completely for maximum articulation during bumpy rock crawls.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Much of the progress toward eliminating sleeping sickness rests on the work of African researchers and patients who took part in the trials, despite difficult conditions.—
Fran Kritz,
NPR,
16 Mar. 2026
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From unspoken racial dynamics, like Sid rejecting Tia in favor of her white friends, to the economic worries that become entwined with her self-image, Sid’s precarious new social position rests on a knife’s edge.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Your 9th House of Journeys takes focus as the Moon pokes Jupiter in your more localized 3rd house.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
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Williams pokes a single into the right field gap for an RBI.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dawdles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdles. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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