Meaning

4 senses

  1. To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.

    tändeln, trödeln

    тра́тить вре́мя впусту́юtrátitʹ vrémja vpustúju, безде́льничатьbezdélʹničatʹ, прохлажда́тьсяproxlaždátʹsja

    waste time

  2. (ambitransitive)To caress, especially of a sexual nature; to fondle or pet

    2024, The November Nethack Tournament achievements Dally with a foocubus

    флиртова́тьflirtovátʹ, коке́тничатьkokétničatʹ

  3. To delay unnecessarily; to while away.

    откла́дыватьotkládyvatʹ

  4. To wind the lasso rope (ie throw-rope) around the saddle horn (the saddle horn is attached to the pommel of a western style saddle) after the roping of an animal

Examples

5 sentences

  1. Time's almost up, why are you still dilly-dallying?

    CC BY · Tatoeba · Aphima · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. Dilly-dallying the day away does not an artist make.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · atreides_ · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. Don't dilly-dally.

    deTrödel nicht!

    CC BY · Tatoeba · soliloquist · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. You're late! Sheesh, dilly-dally dilly-dally ...

    CC BY · Tatoeba · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. Let's get going! We have no time to dilly-dally.

    deJetzt aber los! Wir haben keine Zeit Sperenzchen zu machen.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · Dejo · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

6 languages
Русский
By meaning 3
to waste time:
to interchange caresses:
to delay unnecessarily:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
to waste time:

Origin

From Middle English dalien, from Anglo-Norman delaier. Doublet of delay. Possibly from Sp

From Middle English dalien, from Anglo-Norman delaier. Doublet of delay.

Possibly from Spanish dale vuelta (“twist it around”) by law of Hobson-Jobson, from dale + la + vuelta.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

dallies, dallying, dallied, dallied
Base formdally · to dally
3rd person singulardallies
Present participledallying
Past simpledallied
Past participledallied

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theydally
he, she, itdallies

Past simpleLesson

all personsdallied

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave dallied
he, she, ithas dallied

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill dally

Synonyms

92 synonyms
cabbageB1idleC2lampA2lingerB2loafB1loiterC2whileA2chuckleB1coaxC2cossetC2fondB1petA1shiftB1worshipB2
Close in meaning

Word family

5 related words
Relateddalliancedallier
Deriveddallyinglydilly-dallyundallying

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
daisyB1daldaledalidaltondamA2
dally — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto