Synonyms

dawdle

American

[dawd-l] / ˈdɔd l /

verb (used without object)

dawdled, dawdling

to waste time; idle; trifle; loiter.

Stop dawdling and help me with these packages!
to move slowly, languidly, or dilatorily; saunter.

verb (used with object)

dawdled, dawdling

to waste (time) by or as if by trifling (usually followed byaway ).

He dawdled away the whole morning.

Synonyms:

trifle, idle, putter, fritter

dawdle British

/ ˈdɔːdəl /

verb

(intr) to be slow or lag behind
to waste (time); trifle

"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

Related Words

See loiter.

Other Word Forms

dawdler noun
dawdlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of dawdle

First recorded in 1650–60; variant of daddle “to toddle”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It also raised further questions as to why England dawdled on his selection for so long.

From BBC

“I wish you wouldn’t dawdle so, Margaret! I have been standing here for the better part of a minute. Now draw me a bath, please, and lay out a fresh gown.”

From Literature

In France's tournament opener, after their heavy brigade had bashed away at a stubborn Wales defence for 12 phases, Dupont picked up the ball and dawdled sideways and backwards off the back of the breakdown.

From BBC

She has set a six-minute daily time limit as a reminder not to dawdle on Instagram.

From Seattle Times

While these cities dawdle, the region’s residents suffer the effects of the housing shortage: high rents, overcrowding, eviction and homelessness.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023