DALLIES Synonyms: 190 Similar and Opposite Words

dallies

verb

present tense third-person singular of dally

as in plays

to engage in activity for amusement he spent his college years dallying, seemingly determined to acquire as little knowledge as possible

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as in lingers

to move or act slowly don't dally on the way to the interview

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as in flirts

to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun she spent the summer dallying with a guy renting the neighboring beach house

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as in lazes

to spend time doing nothing I kept dallying at my desk until I couldn't put off doing my work any longer

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dallies

Verb

Sabally’s younger sister Nyara, who plays for the Toronto Tempo, is yet to make her comeback from a calf injury, while Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich, another key player, is just back from a foot injury.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
In adults, the hormone plays a role in blood sugar control, bone density and muscle growth.

— Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of plays

Verb

Inside Fort Worth's Cowboy Coliseum, a historic 1908 indoor rodeo venue in the heart of the city's famous Stockyards, the gunpowdery smell of pyrotechnics lingers in the air.

— Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
Sorsby eventually withdrew from college and gave up the fight, but the lawsuit lingers on — triggered by a state court order that had temporarily allowed Sorsby to play despite the NCAA longtime ban of players who gamble.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of lingers

Verb

Hal flirts with Kerry; John has an affair with Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), the wife of William Macon (Garret Dillahunt), a local cattle mogul whose compound has more high tech weaponry than a mere human would seem to need.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
Rachel dates a shoe store operator named Lou (Bob Hoskins), while Charlotte nurses a crush on her handsome young school bus driver and flirts with Catholicism to the chagrin of her Jewish mother.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 17 July 2026

Definition of flirts

Verb

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

Definition of dawdles

Verb

Burkhart added that if the trade war drags on, businesses will face far greater risks and consumers — already facing difficulties keeping up with inflation and higher fuel prices — will face a greater challenge with the cost of living.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026
The move drags romance into spaces once reserved for a workout or a self-care Sunday.

— Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of drags

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

So pretending imbalance isn't happening — like when one partner is regularly absorbing all the work and smiling through it — just delays the same resentment that often festers in exchange relationships.

— Mark Travers, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
That is not only a problem for expanding power grid infrastructure to support growing electricity demand, but also delays the process of replacing aging power transformers.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of delays

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.

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dalliers

dallies

dally

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“Dallies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dallies. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dallies

verb

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