DAWDLES Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

dawdles

verb

present tense third-person singular of dawdle

as in lingers

to move or act slowly if you continue to dawdle, we'll be late for sure

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in lazes

to spend time doing nothing accused the city council of dawdling even as the crime rate was spiraling out of control

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dawdles But Koreeda dawdles over all that without ever finding much dramatic nuance, making for a dullish midsection. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026 But while the new movie dawdles on its way to Toxie’s origins, then rushes toward a finale with a lurching rhythm that verges on calculated ineptitude, its spirit never feels inauthentic. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawdles

Verb

There are few households in Israel that haven’t been affected in some way by the events that have played out since, leaving a sense of profound grief and insecurity that lingers across the Israeli society.

— Yarden Segev, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026
Even as the sense of a hazy disturbance in the force lingers, Burkholder’s approximately three-minute statement at least demystified some of the curious situation.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of lingers

Verb

As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.

— Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.

— Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025

Definition of idles

Verb

Unexcused absences in three consecutive elections freeze tax IDs, block nonvoters from applying to state jobs, hinders loans from state banks, and delays the issuance of passports.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
One medium-sized apple has 4 grams of fiber, including soluble fiber, which delays sugar absorption into the bloodstream.

— Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of delays

Verb

Corcoran relaxes with Max in the library on a circa 1900 French iron daybed settee from Fireside Antiques in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

— David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026
Once normal breathing resumes, parasympathetic influence increases, and the body relaxes big time.

— Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of relaxes

Verb

Try to keep that in mind the next time your kid drags you to some terrible Star Wars thing that nobody asked for.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2026
The deadpan family comedy follows a 63-year-old man who drags nine relatives on a one-day tour of nine temples after a fortune teller warns that his mother will soon die.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of drags

Verb

Garcia-Herrero said Europe's leverage largely rests on its position as a major destination market and the presence of large shipping companies that have avoided the Arctic because of environmental and commercial risks.

— Lee Ying Shan,Matthew Tan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
This has all but ensured that Democrats will retake the House in November, but the Senate rests on a knife’s edge.

— Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of rests

Verb

There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawls

Verb

Meanwhile, Vision loses control of Ultron’s prison, and Ultron strolls free.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
When Denny strolls in, his parents figure out the mistake, their relief tested by the kidnapper’s insistence that the ransom remains the same.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of strolls

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“Dawdles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdles. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dawdles

verb

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