dawdle
verb (used without object)
to waste time; idle; trifle; loiter.
had dawdled
-
past perfectof dawdle.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
She had been performing well in recent months, Ms. Loesche said, but today she had dawdled by the door, hesitant to step inside.
From New York Times ● Aug. 8, 2023
"If people had dawdled getting off this airplane, that would have put them at increased risk," John Hansman, director of the International Center for Air Transportation, told USAToday.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 9, 2013
The visitors had dawdled alarmingly from the start, inviting danger by conceding territory and possession too easily in central midfield.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 8, 2010
For six months Hearst's Chicago Herald-American had dawdled along in a well-worn rut.
From Time Magazine Archive
Various states have different names for them, but I had dawdled in New England, the winter grew apace, and I had visions of being snowbound in North Dakota.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
