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to lollygag

to lollygag

2 9.5
To waste time instead of doing the work you need
  • verb
  • /ˈlɑliˌɡæɡ/
  • Informal
translation icon : holgazanear
  • Instead of working on the project, they decided to lollygag in the sun.

You can pussyfoot, you can lollygag, you can dilly dally, you can take your sweet ass time.

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Examples

  • You lollygag your way down to first!

  • Apparently just me because someone lollygagged this morning.

  • Or just to lollygag until a great

    Blog text (14)
  • You lollygag in and out of the dugout.

  • Don't lollygag out there, just get the bird.

  • "Come on," she says, "don't lollygag."

    Fiction book (1990)
  • But that's because you have time to lollygag.

    Blog text (25)
  • We had like so many hours but we were just lollygagging, talking, watching Jlo's YouTube channel.

  • "I'm tearing the engine out of the mayor's RV in the morning, I ain't got time to lollygag."

    Fiction book (1999)
  • He spent the afternoon lollygagging at the mall instead of studying for his exam.

Synonyms

to hang around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
407 2.0

To stay in a place without doing anything important

is more about aimless meandering rather than simply staying put
to sit around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
350 1.1

To spend time sitting and doing very little without a clear purpose

is more about moving or wandering without purpose than sitting still
to linger
vsto lollygag
207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

is more about aimless movement and dawdling than reluctant staying
to mess around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
111 4.1

To spend time doing playful or unplanned activities

is more about slow, aimless lingering than scattered small tasks
to lie around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
43 3.7

To spend time doing nothing useful

is more about purposeless dawdling than general inactivity
to loiter
vsto lollygag
26 5.4

To stand or wait in a place without a clear reason

is broader, covering aimless time not only standing or waiting
to lounge
vsto lollygag
12 2.7

To sit or lie in a place and relax

is more about aimless moving or dawdling than passive resting
to mill around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
9 3.7

Move around slowly in a place without any clear purpose, often in a group

is more about solitary dawdling rather than crowd movement
to loaf
vsto lollygag
7 6.2

To spend time doing little or nothing instead of working

is more about aimless loitering and dawdling than mere idleness
to tarry
vsto lollygag
  • Literature
7 7.5

To stay in a place longer than expected

is more about purposeless roaming and dawdling than simply delaying
to laze
vsto lollygag
7 4.3

To spend time relaxing and doing very little

is more about purposeless dawdling than quiet relaxation
to mill about
vsto lollygag
7 5.3

To move around a place without a clear reason, often in a group

is more about individual aimless dawdling than group milling
to dilly-dally
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
5 7.9

To waste time by delaying when you should act

is more about aimless wandering than delay caused by indecision
to lounge around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
5 3.8

To relax and do very little

is more about aimless wandering and dawdling than mere lounging
to putter around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
5 6.5

To spend time doing small, not important tasks slowly without a clear plan

is more about purposeless dawdling than gentle, productive fiddling
to monkey around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
4 7.3

Waste time by acting silly instead of working

is more about slow, purposeless dawdling than playful silliness
to mess about
vsto lollygag
  • UK
3 5.9

To spend time somewhere doing nothing special

is more about aimless dawdling with no clear goal than mere presence
to gad about
vsto lollygag
  • UK
3 9.0

To move around places for pleasure without a plan

is more about idle lingering in one place than roaming for fun
to bum around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
3 7.9

Spend time doing very little or nothing

is more about aimless dawdling and wandering than pure laziness
to muck around
vsto lollygag
  • UK
3 8.4

To spend time doing not important things in a relaxed way

is more about aimless lingering rather than casual unplanned activity
to slug
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
2 7.7

To spend time doing nothing useful

is more about aimless loitering and dawdling than plain laziness
to bum about
vsto lollygag
  • UK
2 8.6

To spend time doing very little and moving around without plans

is more about aimless dawdling rather than only being lazy
to muck about
vsto lollygag
  • UK
1 8.7

To spend time doing things that are not important

is more about purposeless dawdling rather than playful messing
to futz around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
1 9.2

To spend time doing small unimportant things instead of working

is more about purposeless dawdling than deliberate avoidance playfulness
to piddle
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
1 8.7

To waste time doing small unimportant things

is similar but stresses purposeless dawdling rather than mild idling
to loll around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
1 4.4

To spend time doing very little and relaxing

is more about purposeless dawdling rather than simple relaxation
to lounge about
vsto lollygag
  • UK
1 3.4

To spend time lazily doing little or nothing

is more about aimless dawdling and wandering than resting
to bum
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
1 7.7

To spend time doing nothing and not working

is more about aimless dawdling and wandering than general laziness
to loaf about
vsto lollygag
  • UK
1 6.5

To spend time doing nothing in a lazy way

is more about aimless dawdling rather than relaxed inactivity
to footle
vsto lollygag
  • UK
1 9.9

Move around without a clear plan or purpose

is more about slow dawdling rather than wandering or moving around
to potter around
vsto lollygag
  • UK
1 6.5

To move around slowly doing small jobs in no hurry

is more about idle loitering rather than gentle, purposeful tinkering
to woolgather
vsto lollygag
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To think about pleasant things instead of paying attention

is more about physical dawdling rather than purely mental daydreaming
to wank around
vsto lollygag
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To waste time instead of doing something useful

is more about aimless dawdling than not taking tasks seriously
to arse around
vsto lollygag
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To waste time doing silly or lazy things instead of useful work

is more about gentle dawdling than strongly silly or rude behaviour
to footle away
vsto lollygag
  • UK
9.6

To waste time doing small, unimportant things

is more about aimless wasting of time rather than trivial fussing
to tootle around
vsto lollygag
  • UK
8.4

To travel slowly without a clear plan

is more about staying and dawdling rather than moving for pleasure
to waste one's time
vsto lollygag
3.3

To spend time on things that are not useful

is more about aimless passing of time than explicit useless activity
to trifle
vsto lollygag
7.1

To spend time idly on unimportant things

is more about aimless wandering than only doing trivial things
to faddle
vsto lollygag
9.9

To waste time on small unimportant things

is more about relaxed dawdling than busy, pointless fussing
to piddling around
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
8.6

To spend time doing small unimportant things with no real plan

is more about purposeless loitering rather than gentle, unimportant tasks
to piddle away
vsto lollygag
  • Informal
8.6

Spend time or money on unimportant things

is more about aimless dawdling than wasting resources specifically
to dweebling about
vsto lollygag
  • Offensive
9.9

Act in a silly, aimless way and waste time

is more about purposeless dawdling than simply acting foolishly
to frig around
vsto lollygag
  • Slang
9.9

To waste time instead of doing something useful

is more about aimless wandering and dawdling than lazy avoidance

Antonyms

1.0

Effort people use to do a job or task

1.0

To move or act quickly because there is little time

How Idle

to lollygag
  • Informal
2 9.5
to linger
207 3.7
to dawdle
17 5.0
to pause
346 1.0

Surface Forms

lollygag infinitive
lollygagged past participle
lollygagging present participle
lollygags third person singular

Etymology

Lollygag probably comes from the older word loll, which means 'to lounge' or 'relax', combined with a playful ending -gag. A helpful way to remember it is to picture someone lying around doing silly little things, so to lollygag is to waste time or dawdle.