1. waste time; be slow: "she mustn't dawdle—she had to make the call now"Similarlingerdallytake one's timedrag one's feetbe slowwaste timekill timefritter time awayidledelayprocrastinatestallhang firemark timepotter about/around/roundinformal:dilly-dallylet the grass grow under one's feetarchaic, literary:tarryOppositehurry
▪ move slowly and idly in a particular direction:"Ruth dawdled back through the wood"Similaramblestrollgo/walk slowlyloiter (along)move at a snail's pacenot keep pacepotterhold backlag behindfall behindtrail behindinformal:moseytootlepootlebimblemoochswanOppositespeed
Word Originmid 17th century: related to dialect daddle, doddle ‘dally’.