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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Hours after taking office, Trump signed multiple executive orders, including one action delaying a nationwide ban of the social media platform TikTok.—
Alex Thomas,
arkansasonline.com,
26 Jan. 2025
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But Hollywood casting directors nabbed Jackman first, delaying his New York City stage debut.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Plan to linger over natural wine and a mix of market-fresh plates as the music slowly shifts, turning the venue into a bit more of a party as the day goes on.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Jan. 2025
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Although some investors were wary (and snobbery toward jukebox musicals still lingered), Swept Away managed to raise $14.5 million from investors.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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Once again, the Packers — who still had two timeouts — diddled and dawdled and didn’t run another play until there were just 16 seconds left in the half.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes,
15 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Timothée Chalamet playfully poked fun at himself during his Saturday Night Live monologue on Jan. 25.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2025
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This time his timing was really good, as was that of Tanner Jeannot, who poked the puck lin Helenius’ direction.—
Jim Alexander,
Orange County Register,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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When he himself isn’t bummed out, Scott Avett (who flew to New York to be with the cast and crew during its final week) remains philosophical.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025
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Expecting to see spikes in seasonal affective disorder, Dr. Leibowitz was shocked to learn that Nordic people weren’t all that bummed out by the long, dark, and extreme winters.—
Julia Ries,
SELF,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Emma Corrin — who plays Anna Harding, best friend to Lily-Rose Depp’s Ellen Hutter — had to film a scene covered in rats that crawled on their bare chest.—
Laura Bradley,
Vulture,
17 Jan. 2025
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The investigators will lay out a grid at the scene, typically with string, and literally crawl around on their hands and knees in search of footprints or other clues.—
Adiel Kaplan,
NBC News,
15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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About 3 million workers were idled, and recovery has been mediocre at best.—
Dan Walters,
The Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2025
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Hospitals are shutting their obstetrics units, and companies that sold baby formula are idling factories.—
Alexandra Stevenson,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The project, known as Stargate, dragged the OpenAI chief into a new feud with his A.I. archnemesis, Elon Musk, and caused friction with an important ally, Microsoft.—
Andrew Ross Sorkin,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
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The deputies dragged Payne across the floor, according to the complaint.—
Julia Marnin,
Sacramento Bee,
24 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Dillydally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dillydally. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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