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
Example Sentences
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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
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
Verb
-
The filmmaker rarely lingers, making brief moments of grace — like Gabrielle peeking in at her mom and stepdad taking a nap — all the more resonant for their evanescence.—
Jon Frosch,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
Warmer and more humid weather moves in on Friday and lingers through the weekend.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2026
Verb
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As climate change delays the first winter frosts across much of North America, summer ragweed also keeps flowering longer, extending the latter part of pollen season into the fall, said David Wees, a faculty lecturer in horticulture at McGill University in Montreal.—
Keerti Gopal,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
-
Copy-on-write is an optimization technique where a system delays making a separate copy of data until it is actually changed.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 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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If the disruption drags on, inventories continue to fall, spare capacity is further depleted, and the margin for error disappears.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Being of Haitian descent means understanding kompa music by osmosis, often starting in early childhood when your mom or tatie drags you to dance during some ten-minute Sweet Micky song.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The new documentary includes footage of this shocking moment, showing Attenborough pressed to the ground as a young gorilla relaxes on top of him, seemingly unbothered by the man in their midst.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
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The color forges a deep connection with nature that simultaneously relaxes and energizes.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Leclerc crawls through the long right-hand Turn 12, where Lindblad moves ahead again.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The dirty little secret most insiders either don’t realize or do not want to admit is that the entire TV eco-system rests on the shoulders of these networks.—
Ted Linhart,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
The strongest case for these clinics rests on early detection.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Kym is the family fuckup and a guilty party to its biggest tragedy but also constantly pokes the bear as its selfish verbal assassin.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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Instead, the robot simply pokes through it.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dawdles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdles. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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