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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
-
It was also delayed thanks to a series of multiple wet dress rehearsal failures.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Feb. 2026
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Los Altos Hills Mayor Rajiv Bhateja said since taxes are likely unfeasible, the hike could force the the town to lay off 10% of its staff or delay key projects like road maintenance.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Weir was right, but those tours — whether billed as the Other Ones or the Dead — were a blend of old camaraderie and lingering friction between the members.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
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Friday afternoon the rain will linger, but become more patchy in nature.—
Steven Sosna,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 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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About 20 firefighters are actively considering leaving the department, Veit said — and that number continues to increase as contract negotiations drag on.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
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Her criminal case has dragged on, unresolved, and she is entitled to be presumed innocent.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Then Jason and Thor shower together, each lathering the other’s back and bums up with fewer orgasms than an old Herbal Essences commercial.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
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Rittenhouse admits to initially being bummed out to not be the murderer, only to quickly come around to preferring this outcome.—
Derek Lawrence,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Social media users have also been poking fun at how popular the jackets are among the Asian diaspora.—
Stephy Chung,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Start by checking the soil’s moisture by poking a finger 2 inches into the top of the soil.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Two planes sat idling on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport late Wednesday night, both of them waiting on disparate groups of Spurs players and staffers.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Antonio Express-News,
12 Feb. 2026
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Picture galactic engines, just idling.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Another two were crawling behind a prep table.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
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However, these were among six restaurants and one food truck in Broward and Palm Beach counties that made the emergency closure list, with issues ranging from roaches crawling around kitchens to employees not washing their hands (one after rubbing/smashing a dead roach with their fingers).—
Kari Barnett,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dillydally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydally. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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