"dilly-dally" meaning in English

See dilly-dally in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /ˈdɪliˌdæli/ Forms: dilly-dallies [present, singular, third-person], dilly-dallying [participle, present], dilly-dallied [participle, past], dilly-dallied [past]
Etymology: Reduplication of dally. Etymology templates: {{reduplication|en|dally}} Reduplication of dally Head templates: {{en-verb}} dilly-dally (third-person singular simple present dilly-dallies, present participle dilly-dallying, simple past and past participle dilly-dallied)
  1. (intransitive) To dawdle; to waste time; to procrastinate. Tags: intransitive Synonyms: loiter, procrastinate, dilly dally, dillydally Translations (to waste time): 磨蹭 (mócèng) (Chinese Mandarin), hengailla (Finnish), velttoilla (Finnish), luumuilla (Finnish), puuhastella (Finnish), procrastiner (French), trödeln (German), Zeit vertrödeln (German), gingillarsi (Italian), procrastinare (Italian), mūgīnor (Latin), се колеба (se koleba) (Macedonian), hāmure (Maori), tonanawe (Maori), procrastinar (Portuguese), тра́тить вре́мя впусту́ю (trátitʹ vrémja vpustúju) [imperfective] (Russian), безде́льничать (bezdélʹničatʹ) [imperfective] (Russian), прохлажда́ться (proxlaždátʹsja) [imperfective] (Russian), procrastinar (Spanish), prokrastinera (Swedish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSONL data for dilly-dally meaning in English (5.3kB)

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      "expansion": "Reduplication of dally",
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  "etymology_text": "Reduplication of dally.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dilly-dallies",
      "tags": [
        "present",
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    },
    {
      "form": "dilly-dallying",
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    },
    {
      "form": "dilly-dallied",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2022 March 20, Jason Bailey, “‘Basic Instinct’ at 30: A Time Capsule That Can Still Offend”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "No one can accuse the filmmakers of dillydallying; no sooner have the opening credits ended than we’re watching, via a mirrored ceiling, a couple writhing naked in coital ecstasy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
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        "To dawdle; to waste time; to procrastinate."
      ],
      "id": "en-dilly-dally-en-verb-6HEWgkns",
      "links": [
        [
          "dawdle",
          "dawdle"
        ],
        [
          "waste time",
          "waste time"
        ],
        [
          "procrastinate",
          "procrastinate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To dawdle; to waste time; to procrastinate."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "loiter"
        },
        {
          "word": "procrastinate"
        },
        {
          "word": "dilly dally"
        },
        {
          "word": "dillydally"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "mócèng",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "磨蹭"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "hengailla"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "velttoilla"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "luumuilla"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "puuhastella"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "procrastiner"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "trödeln"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "Zeit vertrödeln"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "gingillarsi"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "procrastinare"
        },
        {
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "mūgīnor"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "se koleba",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "се колеба"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "hāmure"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "tonanawe"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "procrastinar"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "trátitʹ vrémja vpustúju",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "тра́тить вре́мя впусту́ю"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "bezdélʹničatʹ",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "безде́льничать"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "proxlaždátʹsja",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "прохлажда́ться"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "procrastinar"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to waste time",
          "word": "prokrastinera"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈdɪliˌdæli/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "dilly-dally"
}
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  "etymology_text": "Reduplication of dally.",
  "forms": [
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      "form": "dilly-dallies",
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    },
    {
      "form": "dilly-dallying",
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    },
    {
      "form": "dilly-dallied",
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        "participle",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
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          "ref": "2022 March 20, Jason Bailey, “‘Basic Instinct’ at 30: A Time Capsule That Can Still Offend”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "No one can accuse the filmmakers of dillydallying; no sooner have the opening credits ended than we’re watching, via a mirrored ceiling, a couple writhing naked in coital ecstasy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To dawdle; to waste time; to procrastinate."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "dawdle",
          "dawdle"
        ],
        [
          "waste time",
          "waste time"
        ],
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          "procrastinate",
          "procrastinate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To dawdle; to waste time; to procrastinate."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "loiter"
        },
        {
          "word": "procrastinate"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈdɪliˌdæli/"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "dilly dally"
    },
    {
      "word": "dillydally"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "mócèng",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "磨蹭"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "hengailla"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "velttoilla"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "luumuilla"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "puuhastella"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "procrastiner"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "trödeln"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "Zeit vertrödeln"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "gingillarsi"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "procrastinare"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "mūgīnor"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "se koleba",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "се колеба"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "hāmure"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "tonanawe"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "procrastinar"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "trátitʹ vrémja vpustúju",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "тра́тить вре́мя впусту́ю"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "bezdélʹničatʹ",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "безде́льничать"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "proxlaždátʹsja",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "прохлажда́ться"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "procrastinar"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to waste time",
      "word": "prokrastinera"
    }
  ],
  "word": "dilly-dally"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-07-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-06-20 using wiktextract (e79c026 and b863ecc). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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