dawdle
verb (used without object)
to waste time; idle; trifle; loiter.
have been dawdling
-
present perfect progressiveof dawdle.present perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that began in the past, has continued continuously, and is still in progress.
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 have been dawdling about in this wretched country long enough.
From Captain Bayley's Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California by H. M. (Henry Marriott) Paget
I remember to have been dawdling in a book-store in a small town in Oregon when a lady entered to inquire if a monthly magazine, whose name was unknown to me, had yet arrived.
From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 6 by Hamilton Wright Mabie
“Well, I don’t mind joining you, and that’s the truth, for we have been dawdling about, and I am a trifle chilly myself.”
From Not Like Other Girls by Rosa Nouchette Carey
Oh, Katy, and I have been dawdling up here for hours!
From Molly Brown of Kentucky by Nell Speed
It is close on ten o'clock; I have been dawdling over my diary longer than I supposed.
From Armadale by Wilkie Collins
