dally — to waste time or act slowly; to delay or procrastinate
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to waste time or act slowly; to delay or procrastinate
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈdæli/
Example Sentences
- The students dallied in the hallway instead of going to class.
- My cat dallies with the mouse before catching it, like a furry serial killer.
- She dallied over her breakfast while everyone waited impatiently.
dally
VERB[/ˈdæli/]
to waste time or act slowly; to delay or procrastinate
The kids dally by the pond, skipping stones instead of heading home for dinner.
Don't dally in the alley when others rally!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Middle English 'dalien' or 'dailien', possibly derived from Old Norse 'dvelja' meaning to delay or linger, with influences from similar Germanic roots related to dawdling and delay.
Breakdown
dally = dal- (delay/linger, from Old Norse origin) + -ly (adverbial/verbal suffix) = to delay or waste time
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The students dallied in the hallway instead of going to class.”
“My cat dallies with the mouse before catching it, like a furry serial killer.”
“She dallied over her breakfast while everyone waited impatiently.”
“He's been dallying with three different dating apps at once - what a modern Romeo!”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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