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

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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
  • When these systems are under-resourced, investigations become more difficult, delaying interventions that protect the public.
    — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
  • The court will sit in September to decide whether to strike down the statutory foundation of the inquiry, delaying one of South Africa’s biggest political risks.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 24 July 2026
Definition of delaying
Verb
  • Lee’s elbow guard protected him from being hit directly on the bone, but Vitello said there was still some lingering soreness.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 26 July 2026
  • Some residents expressed concerns about pollution, the traffic congestion, the dangers of errant drivers around kids and the lingering aroma of frying food.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of lingering
Verb
  • Instead, her dad looks under the table and sees a jumble of limbs with Chastain’s smiling face poking out at him.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 21 July 2026
  • This included one of their players poking a finger into the ear of the Belgian penalty-spot protector Diego Moreira, and responding to the reactionary elbow to the tummy by going down, and staying down, on top of the penalty mark.
    — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of poking
Verb
  • This seems especially true if there are hiccups in correct window measurement or ordering, which can lead to long delays and projects dragging on and on.
    — Jason Rueger, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • At Seabright State Beach in Santa Cruz County, a lifeguard was captured on video dragging a boy out of the water in a harrowing rescue.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of dragging
Verb
  • They’re wrapped around thumbnails, crawling up ring fingernails, and shining with 3D dewdrops.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 27 July 2026
  • Fort Hood, Texas, one of the Army's largest bases, has closed one of its dining facilities after a video circulating on X appeared to show dozens of roaches crawling across the walls of the facility's kitchen.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Definition of crawling
Verb
  • For gardens, Shosei-en is a quiet surprise so close to Kyoto Station that most visitors walk right past it, a strolling garden of ponds, bridges, and teahouses that makes a perfect first or last stop in the city.
    — Shivani Vora, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • In summary, anyone already planning to order a thermal-invisibility cape and spend the evening strolling unnoticed past infrared cameras should put the grappling hook back in the cupboard.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 July 2026
Definition of strolling
Verb
  • Indeed, Ederson has moments where he can be caught dawdling with the ball, hoping for an opening that doesn’t always arrive.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 5 June 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

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Cite this Entry

“Lollygagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lollygagging. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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