1
as in to delay
to move or act slowly
don't dillydally on the way to the store
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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At least three lawsuits have been filed against the company for delaying the features and circulating misleading iPhone 16 ads regarding Apple Intelligence.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
26 May 2025
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Kristi Durbin, immunization and travel division manager at El Paso County Public Health, said parents delayed routine health care during the pandemic.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
25 May 2025
Verb
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The pitch lingered in the air before diving under Jackson Merrill’s whiffing bat for an inning-ending strikeout.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Six-time All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard missed the start of the regular season with a lingering knee injury.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 May 2025
Verb
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According to PitchBook, venture capital deals dawdled in 2024—fewer funding deals took place, but those that did tended to have higher valuations.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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Instead, season three of The White Lotus dawdles too long, trying to save too much of the good stuff for the end.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Within seconds, Phaedra poked fun at newbies Brit Eady, Angela Oakley, and Kelli Ferrell.—
Robyn Merrett,
StyleCaster,
25 May 2025
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These two words have become an international meme, poking fun at Trump, especially since Putin ignored him.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
23 May 2025
Verb
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Everyone — from those actually paying to the ones still bumming a log-in — wants to know how Netflix and other streaming services’ crackdowns on password sharing affect them.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
20 May 2025
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Fans who hoped to see them on the red carpet at last week’s Met Gala were bummed.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
11 May 2025
Verb
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The woman crawled to her bathroom and pulled the emergency cord, then the facility staff called 911, deputies said.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Sun Sentinel,
22 May 2025
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Here, 15 of the softest sheets that will convince you that crawling into bed at 9 p.m. is equivalent to self-care.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Cops responded at 3:56 a.m. to a report that a vehicle was idling by the roadside near the intersection of Woodland and Irving streets, its driver apparently unconscious.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
20 May 2025
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It was led by local people who didn’t give up on their community when its major employer, the Stellantis plant, was idled in early 2023.—
Laurent Belsie,
Christian Science Monitor,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Further afield is the prospect of an India-EU FTA, although that process has dragged on for a decade.—
Vasuki Shastry,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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That dragged its stock down even though the company also reported a better profit for the latest quarter than expected.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dillydally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydally. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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