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lollygag

verb

ˈlä-lē-ˌgag How to pronounce lollygag (audio)
variants also lallygag
Definition of lollygagnext
as in to delay
to move or act slowly accused the government of lollygagging while survivors of the earthquake continued to live in the most wretched conditions

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 lollygag Knueppel didn’t seem to know how to lollygag through a workout, even one of the early-morning shootarounds where NBA players are just waking up. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lollygag
  1. delay
  2. linger
  3. crawl
  4. drag
  5. poke
  6. dawdle
  7. stroll
Verb
  • Peterson agreed without hesitation to stay on and help with the funeral, delaying the start of his new position by two weeks.
    — Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • While some homeowners like to overseed warm-season lawns with a cool-season grass to keep the lawn green all winter, overseeding a permanent warm-season lawn with cool-season grasses may actually weaken it by delaying next spring’s early growth.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of delay
Verb
  • But now there’s the lingering unknown amid a fight that can feel endless.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The film’s cast is mostly made up of tribal non-actors, but Anghlong Konyak is its captivating center, as a man whose stubbornness against change sits alongside a lingering grief over his fading way of life.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of linger
Verb
  • Suki, who had been with her new family only a few weeks, had crawled into an opening in an entertainment center cabinet and could not get out.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • And the weirdness of the blue, blue sky above, while hundreds of men crawl around like ants on the rubble.
    — Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of crawl
Verb
  • And my sister dragged me to Loulu, the café-market with an Erewhon collaboration and Cosmic Bliss soft-serve, a lovely afternoon fix for those of us on the East Coast without an Erewhon.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Potelle’s home — like many others’ — remains contaminated as disputes with her insurance company drag on.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of drag
Verb
  • The dog’s ribs poked out, her skin was irritated and red, and patches of fur were missing — a possible sign of mange.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Natural light pokes through the windows, adding a trademark freshness to an indoor coliseum.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of poke
Verb
  • Gvardiol looked jittery early on, rallied a little to break up some dangerous Porto attacks, but then started giving the ball away again and was booked for a needless pull after being caught dawdling in possession.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Don’t dawdle, though, as the air temperature in the room or your warm hand on the glass can transfer their thermal energy to melt the rest of the ice and then begin to raise the temperature of your drink!
    — Matthew Koss, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of dawdle
Verb
  • But Jon Hamm, strolling up to present the next award, got the better joke in.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The setting is contemporary Paris in crisis, when civil unrest, rather amorphously presented apart from increasing numbers of military on the streets, makes evening strolls potentially problematic.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of stroll

Browse Nearby Words

lolly
lollygag
lollygagged
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Cite this Entry

“Lollygag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lollygag. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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