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

After the Longhorns stuffed Jadan Baugh for a 2-yard loss plays later, Jones sold a fake, rolled out and connected with tight end Lacota Dippre for a 7-yard score.

— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
But Peter O’Toole plays your adviser and has these wonderful speeches about the importance of the monarchy and the spirit of the country.

— Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of plays

Verb

Afternoon highs on Friday are expected to be a much cooler 57 degrees as a 40% chance of rainfall lingers in the area.

— Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2026
That rinse-clean standard matters for anyone worried about buildup, since a scalp oil that lingers after washing can leave hair looking greasy rather than nourished.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of lingers

Verb

Between Jordan’s charm and Misty’s smile that only emerges around him, the film flirts with becoming a romantic comedy.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
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

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

However, Fed officials fear that the longer the war drags on, the higher the likelihood that the spike will make its way through the broader economy and become embedded in consumer and business expectations.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
As the comet rotates, fresh ice enters the sunlight and sublimates; the escaping gas then drags entrained dust particles away from the nucleus.

— Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 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

Even if Illinois delays its natural gas plant closings, the state will need more batteries, and Richardson is rushing to provide them.

— John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
In this scenario, the heart attack now drives the pricing, while the prostate cancer delays the application.

— Howard Wolinsky, STAT, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of delays

Verb

When the removal cannot be measured directly, the credibility of each credit rests on the model used to calculate it.

— Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
And 2026’s biggest Halloween nail trend—a spider nail art manicure—rests in the perfect place between the two.

— Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of rests

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 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of dallies

verb

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