dawdle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to waste time; idle; trifle; loiter.
Stop dawdling and help me with these packages!
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to move slowly, languidly, or dilatorily; saunter.
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(intr) to be slow or lag behind
-
to waste (time); trifle
Related Words
See loiter.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dawdle
First recorded in 1650–60; variant of daddle “to toddle”
Explanation
There are lots of words that mean to move slowly. The point of dawdle is that one is moving too slowly, is falling behind, or is not properly focused on making progress. One way to remember the meaning of dawdle is that it rhymes with "waddle," as in, "a duck waddles." Imagine what would happen if you waddled instead of walked. It would take a lot more time, and your companion might say, "Don't dawdle!" Dawdle implies not only taking extra time but actually wasting it. A leisurely walk in the woods is one thing, but if you have to get to the theater on time, don't dawdle along the way: you'll miss the curtain!
Vocabulary lists containing dawdle
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Touching Spirit Bear
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Languor Management: Synonyms for "Lazy"
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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.
He added that central banks’ reliance on backward-looking economic data meant they were likely “to dawdle, rather than hike.”
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
When you’re moving tons of food at the edge of its usefulness — an average of 250,000 pounds or 125 tons every day — no one can afford to dawdle.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2024
If a few passengers dawdle while stowing their bag and finding their seat, it can make the difference between a flight being on time or late in the government’s official statistics.
From Washington Times • Oct. 19, 2023
Allison said it’s important for investigators not to dawdle.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 25, 2023
Others dawdle, the ones with a kitchen full of kids and help that has gone home.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
