dawdle
verb (used without object)
to waste time; idle; trifle; loiter.
had been dawdling
-
past perfect progressiveof dawdle.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
We had miles of snowy trails to ski and I had been dawdling too long over my gear.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
Meanwhile, the impact of Douglas MacArthur had already made firm some decisions which had been tentative, made emphatic some intentions which had been halfhearted, made urgent some programs which had been dawdling.
From Time Magazine Archive
George, as usual, discovered that he had been dawdling in the portals of his desires, when the doors came to with a bang.
From The White Peacock by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence
He was a rich mining king from Colorado, by the name of Harvey Farnham, whom I had met in Denver, when I had been dawdling through America three or four years ago.
From The House by the Lock by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson
She had been dawdling and dreaming longer than she supposed.
From Pink Gods and Blue Demons by Cynthia Stockley
