dilly-dally (Meaning)
dilly-dally (v)
postpone doing what one should be doing
dilly-dally (v. i.)
To loiter or trifle; to waste time.
Synonyms & Antonyms of dilly-dally
Synonyms:
- lag
- lollygag
- mark time
- loiter
- mope
- hang fire
- fall behind
- shilly-shally
- diddle
- creep
- drop behind
- shuffle
- dawdle
- drag one's heels
- tarry
- lallygag
- play
- stroll
Antonyms:
dilly-dally Sentence Examples
- The children were told not to dilly-dally on their way to school.
- The teacher warned the students that they would lose recess if they dilly-dallied during class.
- The boss grew impatient with the workers who were dilly-dallying around instead of getting their work done.
- The shopper was frustrated by the long line at the checkout counter and began to dilly-dally around the store.
- The dilly-dallying of the politician caused the public to lose confidence in his leadership.
- The doctor advised the patient to dilly-dally around in bed and not to rush back to work too soon.
- The dilly-dallying of the baseball pitcher caused the team to lose the game.
- The dilly-dallying of the firefighters allowed the fire to spread and caused considerable damage.
- The dilly-dallying of the waiter caused the customers to lose their patience and leave the restaurant.
- The dilly-dallying of the tour guide caused the tourists to miss their bus and have to spend an extra night in the city.
FAQs About the word dilly-dally
postpone doing what one should be doingTo loiter or trifle; to waste time.
crawl, drag,delay, linger, poke, lag, lollygag, mark time, loiter, mope
rocket, whisk, rip, hurry, scoot, race, bolt, whirl, course, speed
The children were told not to dilly-dally on their way to school.
The teacher warned the students that they would lose recess if they dilly-dallied during class.
The boss grew impatient with the workers who were dilly-dallying around instead of getting their work done.
The shopper was frustrated by the long line at the checkout counter and began to dilly-dally around the store.