DAWDLED Synonyms: 150 Similar and Opposite Words

dawdled

verb

past tense of dawdle

as in delayed

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 lazied

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

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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 dawdled But, lucky for anyone who dawdled, many of the deals are still active. — Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 June 2026 Flight attendants turned into drill sergeants, barking at passengers who flouted mask rules or dawdled too long eating that snack with the mask off. — Thomas Black, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025 Fava snuffled and dawdled and took her own sweet time up the sidewalk. — Dan Kois, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dawdled

Verb

That level of demand for the robot has quickly delayed delivery times for new orders past the initial promise of Christmas 2026.

— Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Good enough on time beats perfect production delayed every time.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of delayed

Verb

There’s an outdoor kids club with a schedule of activities and a babysitting service, but most youngsters looked happy enough playing on the sand while parents lounged nearby or got involved in the digging.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
Laughing, smoking cigarettes, and sipping bottles of Red Stripe, numerous packs of Black folks lounged around the joint.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of lounged

Verb

Tagovailoa on return, boos Falcons and former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was greeted with boos during Friday’s preseason game, lingered on the field afterward to embrace several former teammates and Dolphins staffers.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Young wound up going 8–5 as a starter and won Offensive Rookie of the Year, but tensions lingered.

— Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of lingered

Verb

The winter chill that dragged digital assets down during most of the hot summer months is finally beginning to lift, with the price of Bitcoin surging about 20 percent last week, its strongest three-day rally since 2023.

— Peter Mintzberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
In 2024, Burke’s squad dragged itself off the mat after an awful (yet at the time, typical) start to the season to go unbeaten in 12 of 13 matches down the stretch and narrowly miss the playoffs.

— Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of dragged

Verb

When a power outage knocked out a third of San Francisco’s traffic lights last December, at least 60 Waymos abruptly idled mid-road, causing severe gridlock and delays.

— Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026
The former home of Belden had a commercial use in recent years and idled for six years before being acquired by his group.

— Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of idled

Verb

The couple strolled through Hampstead with their two dogs in tow.

— Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026
Just last week, Minnesota strolled into San Francisco, delivered a clinical beatdown and strutted off the floor like brash royalty, reminding the peasants of their place.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of strolled

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dawdle

dawdled

dawdler

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“Dawdled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dawdled. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dawdled

verb

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