dawdled; dawdling
ˈdȯ-dliŋ 
-dᵊl-iŋ
1
: to spend time idly
… dawdled about in the vestibule …—
Jane Austen
Jane Austen2
: to move lackadaisically
"I don't want you dawdling while you making deliveries for Mrs. Ford."—Connie Porter
Connie Porter
: to spend fruitlessly or lackadaisically
dawdled the day away
Synonyms
Examples of dawdle in a Sentence
Hurry up! There's no time to dawdle.
Come home immediately after school, and don't dawdle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ukrainian officials dawdled on implementing U.S.-proposed reforms to increase civilian control of the military, expand professional military education, and clean up the corrupt defense procurement system.
—Polina Beliakova, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2023
His fingers dawdled over my remedies, but his gaze was locked on my face.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2024
Outside Parliament, a small cluster of policemen were dawdling on the sidewalk.
—Nadia Beard, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2024
Despite these results, however, some Western critics argued that the deal afforded Russia an illegitimate role in deciding its victim’s future and allowed the EU to dawdle on toughening sanctions.
—Elizabeth Pond, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2015
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Polina Beliakova, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2023
His fingers dawdled over my remedies, but his gaze was locked on my face.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2024
Outside Parliament, a small cluster of policemen were dawdling on the sidewalk.
—Nadia Beard, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2024
Despite these results, however, some Western critics argued that the deal afforded Russia an illegitimate role in deciding its victim’s future and allowed the EU to dawdle on toughening sanctions.
—Elizabeth Pond, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2015
See all Example Sentences for dawdle
Dictionary Entries Near dawdle
Cite this Entry
“Dawdle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dawdle. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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