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
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But Democrats would also be allowed to bring up an indefinite number of amendments on any subject, forcing Republicans to take hard votes in an election year and delaying the process even more.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
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The airframe is currently scheduled to remain in service until at least 2050, and upgrade programs are constantly being delayed.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This is a day for speaking plainly and clearing up lingering misunderstandings.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
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Showers may linger through the mid-morning.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 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 war continued to escalate on its 13th day as oil prices spiraled up again to $100 per barrel, and stocks sank worldwide over fears that the conflict could drag on longer than hoped.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Mar. 2026
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Even with the massive emergency release, analysts said that strategic reserves can cover only a fraction of the supply loss if the conflict dragged on.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Critical thinking really bums them out.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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But researchers who studied crocodiles at an outdoor recreation center near Cape Town appear to have poked a hole in that approach.—
Regina G. Barber,
NPR,
9 Mar. 2026
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Featured in this article What’s more, hotel pillows often have other special features, including down-proof encasements (meaning feathers won’t poke through the cover over time).—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nearly 40 million barrels of oil from Iran, Russia and Venezuela are on vessels idling near the country, up by more than 17% from the week before the conflict erupted, according to Kpler.—
Bloomberg,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Wright said the Russian oil being sold to India had been expected to go to Chinese refineries but had been idling at sea.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Related groups of animals, such as the ancestors of today’s millipedes, crawled out of the sea a bit earlier than insects did.—
Andrew Coletti,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dillydally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydally. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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