dillydally

verb

ˈdi-lē-ˌda-lē How to pronounce dillydally (audio)
Definition of dillydallynext
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dillydally
  1. delay
  2. linger
  3. dawdle
  4. poke
  5. bum
  6. crawl
  7. idle
  8. drag
Verb
  • With Kyiv losing its grip on the western Russian region of Kursk, its sole territorial bargaining chip, many believe that Putin may be delaying talks on the ceasefire proposal until the region is firmly back under Russian control.
    — Nic Robertson, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Under a special rule, IRA owners and participants born after December 31, 1950, and who turned 73 in 2024, can delay their first RMD until April 1, 2025.
    — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of delay
Verb
  • Uncertainty surrounding the Chinese landscape could linger for some time, Hieronimus says.
    — Charlotte Reed, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Biden came to power when the country was still reeling with the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic, including elevated unemployment.
    — Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of linger
Verb
  • Now is not the time to dawdle, as certain entries on the list might still sell out by week’s end.
    — Staff report, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2025
  • Instead, Spurs dawdled during negotiations and, in the end, Slot stayed with the Dutch club for another season before joining Liverpool.
    — Oli Gamp, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Definition of dawdle
Verb
  • The eye poke left Muhammad unable to continue, and the fight was ruled a no contest.
    — Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
  • This occurs as bright points of light appear when sunlight pokes through valleys and mountain ridges on the moon, just before or after the period of totality.
    — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of poke
Verb
  • Journey fans were bummed when their favorite band had to hot-foot it off the stage on Friday (March 14) just five songs into their set at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Yoshi’s bummed about being denied a puppy by her parents, tempers her anger and fills the void with a scavenger hunt in her backyard that turns up a lizard (Laggie) and a cricket (Grillo).
    — Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
Definition of bum
Verb
  • In 1504, Christopher Columbus, on his fourth trans-Atlantic voyage, was stranded on the shores of Jamaica, with his ships crawling with marine worms and his crew hungry.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 Mar. 2025
  • If no shelter is available, crawl to an interior wall away from windows.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of crawl
Verb
  • Used cars will go up big and auto plants will be idled like mad.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Their boat was found idling in circles, sparking a massive search.
    — Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of idle
Verb
  • The Steelers have shown little urgency, both before free agency and now as the Rodgers saga drags on, to sign Wilson.
    — Mike DeFabo, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • JPMorgan analysts expect Tesla’s woes to continue, predicting the company’s weakest quarter for car deliveries since 2022 as Elon Musk’s divisive role in the Trump Administration drags on the EV maker’s performance.
    — Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of drag

Browse Nearby Words

dillydally
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dillydally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydally. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

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

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
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 Word Game 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?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All