dally
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He did not dally, perhaps mindful of what had happened the night before.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
If you dally as the clock approaches 2 p.m. on Sunday, you will see that Jerson Osorio’s team can unbuild a city as fast as they can build one.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2024
Don’t dally — food is only out for one hour.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
The actors don’t dally or fiddle for motivation.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2022
The girl didn’t steal food, sneak ale, or dally with the guests.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
The author gallops through vital moments in world history across the centuries but dallies over what seem like niche aspects of medieval French history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Nightmare for stand-in Dons captain Angus MacDonald as he dallies on the ball and is dispossessed by Kyogo Furuhashi.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2024
If the Fed dallies, and higher inflation becomes a more lasting feature of the economy, it will be even harder to stamp out.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2022
BST10:12 11 min: Gosling dallies in midfield, and Villa come away with it.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 8, 2015
When two people, like the frogs of Æsop, conclude to plunge down a well for the waters of happiness, it is generally the "weaker vessel" who dallies.
From Trifles for the Christmas Holidays by H. S. Armstrong
Rennes midfielder Quentin Merlin dallied deep in his own area and was ambushed by Timothy Weah who passed to Amine Gouiri.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
It, along with its sibling, had stood empty for nearly 25 years, as local, county and Navy authorities dallied on what to do with them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
After the fourth try, scored by Etzebeth, made it 26-25, Dupont dallied on the ball and got knocked back as South Africa won a penalty and went further ahead.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 15, 2023
For example, the amateur developers who used Reddit’s API to build their own compatible mobile apps while the company dallied on making an official, workable one.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2023
Most of the northern half had moved to the kitchen to get fed but Caesar dallied.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
I have been dallying and making a gluten-free french toast with some nice seeds, vanilla, cinnamon and berries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025
He must surely know by now - but this needless dallying around the edge of the subject is now becoming faintly farcical.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2024
Jones’ denial in 24 hours of Meadows’ emergency motion was the mark of a court unwilling to tolerate any dallying in the search of justice.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2023
Klopp empowers his players to think for themselves: the iconic winning goal against Barcelona in last year’s Champions League semifinal came from the squad’s observation that its opponent was dallying during set pieces.
From New York Times ● Jun. 26, 2020
“Pass me your quizzes, everyone—and no dallying, please. A stitch in time saves time, you know.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Vocabulary lists containing dally
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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King Lear
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Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
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