dally

[ dal-ee ]
See synonyms for dally on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),dal·lied, dal·ly·ing.
  1. to waste time; loiter; delay.

  2. to act playfully, especially in an amorous or flirtatious way.

  1. to play mockingly; trifle: to dally with danger.

verb (used with object),dal·lied, dal·ly·ing.
  1. to waste (time) (usually followed by away).

Origin of dally

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English dalien from Anglo-French dalier “to chat,” of uncertain origin

synonym study For dally

1. See loiter.

Other words for dally

Other words from dally

  • dal·li·er, noun
  • dal·ly·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·dal·ly·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dally in a sentence

  • Believe me, the Britisher is a mere dallier in comparison with his American golfing cousin.

  • In fact, some of these are too far from Bec-dAllier, while others are too near Bourges, and most of them are situated in a plain.

    History of Julius Caesar Vol. 2 of 2 | Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873.
  • Finally the last dallier had his say, and, after an exchange of cordial good nights, departed.

    A Pirate of Parts | Richard Neville
  • You know what he says—'The aesthete is, after all, only a dallier.

    The Tempting of Tavernake | E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for dally

dally

/ (ˈdælɪ) /


verb-lies, -lying or -lied (intr)
  1. to waste time idly; dawdle

  2. (usually foll by with) to deal frivolously or lightly with; trifle; toy: to dally with someone's affections

Origin of dally

1
C14: from Anglo-French dalier to gossip, of uncertain origin

Derived forms of dally

  • dallier, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012