Synonyms of dawdles

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lingers
• delays
• drags
• crawls
• pokes
• strolls
• loiters
• lags
• mopes
• shuffles
• diddles
• tarries
• plays
• creeps
• dallies
• marks time
• falls behind
• stalls
• staggers
• drops behind
• hangs fire
• lollygags
• ambles
• idles
• saunters
• lounges
• takes one's time
• dillydallies
• drags one's feet
• shilly-shallies
• decelerates
• lolls
• plods
• procrastinates
• fools around
• fiddles (around)
• putters (around)
• inches
• loafs
• trifles
• potters (around)
• lumbers
• hangs (around or out)
• monkeys (around)
• eases
• messes around
• slows (down or up)
• temporizes
• filibusters

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rushes
• hurries
• scurries
• hastens
• runs
• tears
• speeds
• races
• flies
• scoots
• whirls
• courses
• barrels
• rips
• whizzes
• whisks
• dashes
• careers
• zips
• hurtles
• scrambles
• hustles
• rockets
• bolts
• runs
• scuds
• darts
• trots
• gallops
• jogs
• bowls
• breezes
• humps
• accelerates
• stampedes
• sprints
• quickens
• hotfoots (it)
• speeds (up)
• overtakes
• outruns
• outstrips
• outpaces
• catches up
• fast-forwards

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

• lazes
• idles
• relaxes
• rests
• strolls
• lolls
• plays
• dallies
• bums
• lounges
• pokes
• loafs
• goofs (off)
• chills
• hangs (around or out)
• kills time
• lingers
• lazies
• hacks (around)
• kicks back
• mucks
• drones
• dillydallies
• hangs about
• messes
• footles
• ambles
• twiddles one's thumbs
• loiters
• saunters
• lags
• dozes
• moseys
• vegges out
• piddles
• kicks around
• hibernates
• fools
• monkeys
• tarries
• fiddles (around)
• putters (around)
• trifles
• potters (around)
• estivates
• malingers
• goldbricks
• truants
• swans
• furloughs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• plods
• works
• slaves
• toils
• hustles
• grinds
• labors
• plows
• sweats
• pegs
• plugs
• humps
• applies
• grubs
• drudges
• buckles (down)
• travails
• exerts
• moils
• puts out

Example Sentences

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