Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

dillydally

verb dil·ly·dal·ly \ˈdi-lē-ˌda-lē\

: to move or act too slowly : to waste time

Full Definition of DILLYDALLY

intransitive verb
:  to waste time by loitering or delaying :  dawdle
See dillydally defined for English-language learners
See dillydally defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of DILLYDALLY

reduplication of dally
First Known Use: 1741

Related to DILLYDALLY

Synonyms
crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, diddle, delay, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag (also lallygag), mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry
Antonyms
barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz (or whizz), zip

Rhymes with DILLYDALLY

Central Valley, Great Rift Valley, Mexicali, shilly-shally, teocalli, Tin Pan Alley
DILLYDALLY Defined for Kids

dillydally

verb dil·ly·dal·ly \ˈdi-lē-ˌda-lē\
dil·ly·dal·lieddil·ly·dal·ly·ing

Definition of DILLYDALLY for Kids

:  to waste time :  dawdle <Don't dillydally in your work.>

Learn More About DILLYDALLY

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: dillymanPrevious Word in the Dictionary: dillydallierAll Words Near: dillydally
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries