1
as in to delay
to move or act slowly
don't dillydally on the way to the store
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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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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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A day earlier, flights were delayed at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, New Jersey’s Newark airport and Washington’s Reagan National Airport because of air traffic controller shortages.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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His discharge has been delayed due to his father’s detention.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Place pheromone traps around your closet to capture any lingering moths.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
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The moon is glimmering, the veil between worlds is thin and there’s an air of mischief lingering in the shadows.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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My request to ownership is don’t dawdle.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
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Ticket availability is scant as of this writing, don’t dawdle (with Jon Muq.—
Aaron Davis,
Sacbee.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tom Aspinall’s heavyweight title defense at UFC 321 ended in chaos after Ciryl Gane accidentally poked him in both eyes late in the first round.—
Antonio Losada,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
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Or use your finger, poking it about 2 inches into the soil.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was bummed out by Tech’s decision.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
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Democrats’ most visible strategy appears to be trying to bum a few bucks from the grassroots—when the grassroots’ greatest power is in protest, boycott, and other unified mobilization efforts.—
Sarah Stankorb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ecologically, spiders are important predators of crawling insects.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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This 2022 Netflix original documentary will have your skin crawling.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, having cars idle outside terminals or leaving a car behind, such as what happened during Monday’s incident, does present a security risk, Jeffries said.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
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Does faster Wi-Fi create an expectation that air travelers, once mostly idle up in the blue sky and clouds, will engage with the virtual world?—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But efforts to drag the barge to the site via helicopter failed, with the icebreaker getting stuck in ice and mud.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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As negotiations have dragged on, moreover, Beijing’s appetite has grown.—
Mira Rapp-Hooper,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dillydally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydally. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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