1
as in delayed
to move or act slowly
don't dillydally on the way to the store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hacked (around)
to spend time doing nothing
restaurant employees who, during the slow periods, would rather be doing something instead of just dillydallying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dillydallied
Verb
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Chicago O’Hare issued a ground stop on Tuesday night due to thunderstorms, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, with flight departures delayed an average of 15 minutes and increasing.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026 -
The probe was delayed from 2022, and headed for the asteroid Psyche, using a Mars-gravity assist and not arriving until August 2029.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The boxwork investigation has already reshaped scientists’ understanding of how long water — and the possibility of life — may have lingered on Mars.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
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If water lingered longer than scientists thought, the conditions for microbial life may have persisted longer too.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Later in the week, as other analysts poked holes in the Citrini scenario, the market recovered some of its losses.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Second baseman Ethan Mendoza looks like a completely different player, so much so that teammates have poked fun at him in interviews.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cher’s adult son Elijah Blue Allman busted into a New Hampshire home over the weekend, and then kicked back on the couch with a cigarette, police said.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Although the regionalization had led to a deceleration in the growth of shipping costs throughout 2024 as the Everything Store aggressively embarked on its cost-cutting crusade, these expenses kicked back up into high gear throughout the 2025 fiscal year.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Instead, much of Iraq rose up to expel US ground forces, and the war dragged on for eight years.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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The snake had dragged him roughly 30 feet from where their wrestling match began.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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It can be enjoyed warm or chilled, whichever better suits your schedule.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
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While sake is often associated with being served warm, the selections that night were chilled to complement the bluefin.—
J.M. Banks
March 3,
Kansas City Star,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The animal had crawled into a drain pipe during a cold snap and could not turn around to escape.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
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As seen on video from the scene, traffic crawled along the expressway as smoke billowed from the cars and firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.—
Asal Rezaei,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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No, but really, the military has relaxed some of their standards around aesthetics or other standards that kept some qualified people out, like tattoos.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Mar. 2026
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The apparent corner-cutting illustrates how top brass at Florida’s flagship law school relaxed longstanding safeguards to fast-track the state’s top legal official into its classrooms — even as Republican leaders in Tallahassee demand greater transparency and oversight of university instruction.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dillydallied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydallied. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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