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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Veloso’s imagery is one that lingers long after the film credits have rolled.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
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What lingers is that image of Powell in the beanie.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Recognizing delays inherent to deployment of new, full-scale reactors, the industry and government have focused in recent years on more efficient designs, including a small modular reactor proposed by the nation’s largest public power company, the Tennessee Valley Authority.—
Matthew Daly,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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If emergency services are needed to make a repair, the full lead service line must be replaced within 30 days, or 120 days if weather delays the replacement process.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 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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Rio’s staunch griminess, dreaming of whacking his brother and wanting to cut his nephew’s tongue for snitching, drags Fxce out into the open sea.—
Matthew Ritchie,
Pitchfork,
23 Feb. 2026
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Even the managers can recognize when a game drags.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Advertisement The ruling also relaxes limits on a number of other pollutants released by burning coal, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and nickel.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
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House Bill 267 relaxes funding restrictions to the State Housing Initiatives Program, known as SHIP, which provides local governments with money to promote housing affordability for residents.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Ma crawls toward you and plants her palms on your cheeks.—
Molly Aitken,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This authority rests on stronger constitutional grounds.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
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So its ascendance rests largely on the importance of data centers as critical infrastructure in the age of artificial intelligence.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Amazon also strikes a nerve with an ad starring Chris Hemsworth that pokes fun of people’s fears of AI.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
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Cucurella lands on the rebound and pokes in.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dawdles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdles. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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