Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To take more time than necessary.
- intransitive verb To move aimlessly or lackadaisically.
- intransitive verb To waste (time) by idling.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A trifler; a dawdler.
- To idle; waste time; trifle; loiter.
- To waste by trifling: with away: as, to
dawdle away a whole forenoon.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To waste by trifling.
- noun A dawdler.
- intransitive verb To waste time in trifling employment; to trifle; to saunter.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb intransitive To spend time
idly andunfruitfully , to waste time. - verb transitive To spend (time) without haste or purpose.
- verb intransitive To move or walk
lackadaisically . - noun A
dawdler .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc.
- verb waste time
- verb take one's time; proceed slowly
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Recently, I made a little journal to try out what I thought would be the "dawdle" of bookbinding in danish: "bogbinderi" and have started filling it in.
Archive 2008-01-01 Lee Lee 2008
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Recently, I made a little journal to try out what I thought would be the "dawdle" of bookbinding in danish: "bogbinderi" and have started filling it in.
Journal Making Lee Lee 2008
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The British had their own word "dawdle" which means wasting time or being lazy.
unknown title 2009
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The British had their own word "dawdle" which means wasting time or being lazy.
unknown title 2009
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One saving grace about Medicare: it generally pays promptly, while private insurers will dawdle for months in paying even a simple claim.
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You will not make the connection, because we will probably dawdle and delay without warning or explanation.
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I pictured Liza practicing every possible pose a heroine could adopt in the romantic window seat, but there was no time for me to “dawdle” and try it out.
Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die the Deep End of Fear Elizabeth Chandler 2011
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We couldn't dawdle, though, as dark clouds were gathering, so we turned and stepped as fast we could down the mountain.
Richard Bangs: Death Valley Daze, Part I Richard Bangs 2011
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Don't dawdle, because the Democrats will take up tax reform and have a range of good answers to choose from.
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I pictured Liza practicing every possible pose a heroine could adopt in the romantic window seat, but there was no time for me to “dawdle” and try it out.
Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die the Deep End of Fear Elizabeth Chandler 2011
sonofgroucho commented on the word dawdle
I must confess to a propensity to dawdle.
August 7, 2007