1
as in to delay
to move or act slowly
don't dillydally on the way to the store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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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Trump is speaking now to a crowd filling the National Mall after being delayed by inclement weather.
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Attendees were told to shelter in nearby government buildings, and the celebration was delayed by a few hours before going on as scheduled.
Verb
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But, lucky for anyone who dawdled, many of the deals are still active.
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No time to dawdle while finding your credit score!
Verb
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FireSat will help incident commanders get better information more quickly, and, unlike fire-spotting aircraft, the satellites can linger over a fire for days or weeks and aren’t hampered by high winds or smoke.
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The severe weather threat will linger for parts of the mid-Atlantic on Sunday, stretching from northern Virginia into southern New Jersey, with cities like Richmond, DC, Baltimore and Philly in the threat zone once again.
Verb
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Great, for once the Leafs won’t bum me out!
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Some were drawn first to the language and its interna ideo, only to later realize the travel benefits involved; others had learned the language specifically to bum around.
Verb
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But as the days dragged on, headlines about power outages and water shortages took a back seat to a far more gruesome and horrific reality.
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Compounding concerns, California officials say the Department of Transportation is dragging its feet.
Verb
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At the same time, the sounds of idling diesel work truck engines have replaced that of dozens of fire trucks that had been stationed there for days.
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The second album this year from metalcore pioneers Converge is named for a mysterious, pulsing, low-frequency ambient drone, likened by those who hear it to a diesel engine, an idling airplane, or a kind of inescapable torture.
Verb
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Calderón, a big, bald man wearing a gold chain and cross-shaped earrings, sat off to the side, amid an entourage of muscular assistants in polo shirts, poking at his phone.
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Find a location with an unobstructed view to the southeast, where the full moon’s orangey disk will poke above the horizon minutes after the moonrise time — though exactly when depends on local terrain and buildings.
Verb
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Marcy Park is a place where families, pets, and Highlands Ranch residents go to relax, and where Laura Nelson saw an opportunity to engage with her community.
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One of its earliest central promises was to relax Howard’s gun laws.
Cite this Entry
“Dillydally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydally. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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