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Glite Dictionary
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to dally

to dally

1 7.5
To think about an idea without planning to do it
  • verb
  • /ˈdæli/
translation icon : jugar
  • Instead of focusing on his work, he spent the afternoon dallying with social media.

Examples

  • I can dally with you no longer!

    Zorro, The Gay Blade (1981)

  • Won't be any time to dally with Roz.

    Flaming Star (1960)

  • "I had time to eat a ten-course dinner while you were dallying with her."

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I'm not sure so, so, but because there was a little bit of a reservoir of annoyance with her already online because she was dallying other conspiracy theories.

  • Do I, in some unwitting mode, want her out of the way so I can extend my own horizons, graze fresh pastures, dally with the young'uns?

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Don't you hate yourself for dallying with a body that contains only blood, phlegm, filth, and excreta? The summer after her freshman year at Radcliffe, Claire was back in New York, where she had a summer job as a model for Lord & Taylor.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • He tends to dally when making decisions, which often frustrates his friends.

  • She was just dallying with the idea of moving to another city without any real plan.

Synonyms

to dabble
vsto dally
45 4.8

To try an activity in a casual way without serious effort

applies more to casual thought or handling than activity involvement
to toy with
vsto dally
29 4.5

To think about an idea or plan without deciding

is broader, applying to casual dealing as well as mere thought
to trifle
vsto dally
5 7.3

To treat someone or something without proper respect

is about casual consideration rather than disrespectful action

Antonyms

to commit
706 3.4

To give time, money, or effort to something

to engage
676 3.4

To take part in an activity

Phrasal Verbs

to dally too long
7.0

To delay longer than you should and risk missing something

How Serious

to deliberate
43 4.4
to consider
∞ 1.1
to entertain
82 4.2
to dally
1 7.5

Surface Forms

dally infinitive
dallied past
dallied past participle
dallying present participle
dallies third person singular

Etymology

Dally comes from the old French verb dallier, which meant 'to play', so a helpful way to remember this sense is to think of 'playing' with an idea without taking it seriously, like a small dalliance with a plan. So, to dally is to treat a choice casually and not commit.