dawdle
verb (used without object)
to waste time; idle; trifle; loiter.
dawdles
-
present tense formof dawdle (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
If Minnesota dawdles, it “will rack up $1 billion of deferred payments this year,” the CMS head said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
It is the role of prosecutors to vindicate that interest by initiating judicial action when a defendant dawdles.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2024
Weyman’s cloak-and-rapier swashbuckler is long — over 400 pages in my edition — but its action never dawdles.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 1, 2021
Still, even when he dawdles, he keeps you hooked with his filmmaking and his characters.
From New York Times ● May 12, 2016
I am delighted you have put a stop to that folly," said the Colonel; "that boy dawdles over here every afternoon.
From Bluebell A Novel by Huddleston, Mrs. George Croft
