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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
The judge reminded the court that Cox filed the motion in January 2026 and refused to delay the hearing.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The upcoming feature, which will allow users to generate adult content using the chatbot for the first time, has been delayed.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Still, a 12-person jury was selected Monday, and opening arguments went ahead in the Manhattan federal courthouse Tuesday morning, amid lingering questions about whether it could all be upended by a last-minute deal.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Patchy fog may linger in the morning.—
Brandi D. Addison,
IndyStar,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
My request to ownership is don’t dawdle.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Miller made efforts to clean up the scene before dragging the 86-year-old’s body to a cellar under the shed, where she was later found, the indictment read.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Each team has to drag three giant snakes through a bunch of obstacles and then get a ball through a snake maze to win immunity.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Nothing really itches my brain like a crisp white tee poking out the top of a sweater.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Parr’s humor is also detectably British, with a poking quality that only rarely verges into outright peevishness.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Keep beverages and sweets covered, and be wary of drinking from soda cans outdoors since wasps can crawl inside.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The animal had crawled into a drain pipe during a cold snap and could not turn around to escape.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dillydally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydally. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
