1
as in to delay
to move or act slowly
don't dillydally on the way to the store
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to lazy
to spend time doing nothing
restaurant employees who, during the slow periods, would rather be doing something instead of just dillydallying
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dillydally
There was the tapping of the top of the bat to his toes, scribbling in the dirt, adjusting his gloves and swiping his shoulder, among other displays of dillydallying.
—
Anna Brand, CNN, 30 Mar. 2023
Bathroom breaks and other excuses for dillydallying give your heart rate a chance to return to normal.
—Elizabeth Narins, Cosmopolitan, 22 May 2015
Anna Brand, CNN, 30 Mar. 2023
Bathroom breaks and other excuses for dillydallying give your heart rate a chance to return to normal.
—Elizabeth Narins, Cosmopolitan, 22 May 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dillydally
Verb
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Old luggage barcode stickers can confuse airline systems and increase the risk of bags being misrouted or delayed.—
Joey Skladany,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
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Following exhibitions in 2018 and 2019, however, Olympic inclusion was scrapped when COVID-19 delayed the Games.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But one problem is the lingering perception that blue-collar work isn’t as elite or prestigious as white-collar work.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
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Rain coverage will be at its peak throughout the morning, with a few lingering showers by the afternoon.—
Michael Autovino,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Flight attendants turned into drill sergeants, barking at passengers who flouted mask rules or dawdled too long eating that snack with the mask off.—
Thomas Black,
Twin Cities,
21 Dec. 2025
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My request to ownership is don’t dawdle.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The wave of online comments was sparked by the boss of condom maker Karex, Goh Miah Kiat, who said the Malaysian company planned to raise prices by 20%-30% and possibly more if supply chain disruptions due to the Iran war drag on.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
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After dragging Newport from right to left and back to the right again, holding midfielder Ashley Charles goes over the top to find Ilunga on the right.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On March 17, a video obtained by TMZ showed LaBeouf in a hotel lobby in Rome, Italy, wearing only his underwear and trying to bum a light for a cigarette.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
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Spring cleaning bumming you out?—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Paul, who co-created the Apple TV+ series and drew from season one for the musical’s script and score, performs a dexterous trick, poking fun at the form’s many ridiculous tropes with an unmistakably affectionate hand.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
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Anderson says the magic lies in Gray’s willingness to poke fun at himself.—
Rachel Ventresca,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Amenities and experiences Most of my afternoons were spent idling at the heated infinity pool, glass of African wine in hand, overlooking the crater.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Apr. 2026
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But Stanley said the effort was entirely consistent with Patagonia's results-first philosophy — because Walmart is so huge, convincing it to do something as simple as not idling its delivery trucks while they are unloaded has a significant environmental benefit.—
Tony Biasotti,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One day after the fights, a toddler managed to crawl under a fence at Hersheypark's ZooAmerica and stick his hand into the wolf enclosure while his parents were reportedly distracted on their cell phones.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Adobe could be crawling its way out of the software stock abyss, after a buyback and an endorsement from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revived confidence in the digital media provider.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dillydally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydally. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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