WordLens

dawdle

1 of 1verb
/ˈdɔdəl/
Forms:dawdles,dawdling,dawdled,dawdled
1

to waste time when one should be acting with purpose

  • He dawdled in the kitchen long after breakfast was over.
  • The children dawdled on their way to school.
  • She dawdled by the window, lost in thought.
  • They dawdled at the café instead of heading to the meeting.
  • I dawdled all morning and got nothing done.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
2

to walk slowly and without energy

  • He dawdled down the hallway, dragging his feet.
  • She dawdled through the market, barely glancing at the stalls.
  • The dog dawdled behind, sniffing every tree.
  • They dawdled across the park, enjoying the breeze.
  • He dawdled toward the exit, reluctant to leave.
3

to waste time on something in a slow, ineffective, or unproductive way

  • She dawdled the afternoon away on unfinished sketches.
  • He dawdled his time on pointless tasks.
  • They dawdled the morning cleaning one shelf.
  • I dawdled my energy on a project that went nowhere.
  • He dawdled the day trying to fix a broken lamp.
Synonyms: