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:
- stroll
- hang fire
- dawdle
- fall behind
- diddle
- creep
- mark time
- lallygag
- mope
- drag one's heels
- shilly-shally
- lollygag
- play
- loiter
- tarry
- shuffle
- lag
- drop behind
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.
drag,delay, linger, crawl, poke, stroll, hang fire,dawdle, fall behind, diddle
bolt, breeze, fly, bolt, course, run, hasten,hurry, tear, scurry
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.