lollygagging

verb

variants also lallygagging
present participle of lollygag
as in delaying
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lollygagging
  1. delaying
  2. lingering
  3. poking
  4. dragging
  5. crawling
  6. strolling
  7. dawdling
Verb
  • The Ukrainian leader had accused the Pentagon of delaying the delivery of the missiles that other countries have purchased for Ukraine.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Opaque foam boards covered the windows, blocking sightlines and delaying evacuation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of delaying
Verb
  • Much like on Baby Keem’s Ca$ino, another recent rap epic undone by its author’s inability to overcome lingering trauma, BigX can’t always navigate around his unnamed haters.
    — Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
  • How relaxing and indulgent, wrapped in a plush bathrobe, lingering over lobster bisque, juicy steak and a bottle of red wine.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of lingering
Verb
  • But with just a step to her other side or a shake of her head on stage, the near-auburn shade moves to the forefront, with dimensional pieces of golden blonde poking through.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The smallest of the dogs, a fluffy little white-and-gray thing, is poking out of a red box on the dog keeper’s lap.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of poking
Verb
  • Most damage to the undersea cables that form the Internet’s backbone is the result of accidents involving bottom-trawling fishing nets and ship anchors dragging on the seabed, with storms and undersea landslides also factoring in.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026
  • There’s nothing neutral about dragging your feet, and a rigorous investigation of crimes is the only job of the Justice Department.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of dragging
Verb
  • On thinner material, that gives you a fighting chance at keeping heat and warpage under control without crawling along at a miserable pace.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Prior to then, traffic was seen crawling on the eastbound side of the bridge heading into the city.
    — Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of crawling
Verb
  • Part of the charm of traveling in New England is waking up in a town that feels plucked right out of a movie, grabbing a latte at the local coffee shop, and strolling down streets filled with homes bearing historic placards.
    — Heather Bien, Martha Stewart, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Stewart’s voice was too big and plummy for strolling along those repetitive beige corridors or for arguing with an alien baddie over a video screen.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of strolling
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
  • Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Definition of dawdling
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.

Browse Nearby Words

lollygagged
lollygagging
lollygags
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lollygagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lollygagging. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulsome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All