Dallying

Pronunciation: /ˈdæliɪŋ/

Definitions of dallying

verb to waste time or be slow in doing something

Example Sentences

A1 She was dallying with her food, taking small bites and chatting with her friends.

A2 The children were dallying in the park, playing tag and chasing each other around.

B1 He spent the afternoon dallying with different ideas for his new project before finally making a decision.

B2 Despite the deadline approaching, she continued dallying with the research, unable to focus on writing the report.

C1 The CEO was criticized for dallying with potential investors instead of making a decision on the merger.

C2 The politician's reputation suffered when it was revealed that he had been dallying with lobbyists for personal gain.

Examples of dallying in a Sentence

formal She was scolded for dallying in the hallway instead of going to her next class.

informal Stop dallying and let's get going before we're late.

slang Quit dallying around and get your work done.

figurative He knew he was dallying with danger by procrastinating on his important project.

Grammatical Forms of dallying

• past tense: dallied
• plural: dallyings
• comparative: more dallying
• superlative: most dallying
• present tense: dally
• future tense: will dally
• perfect tense: have dallied
• continuous tense: is dallying
• singular: dallying
• positive degree: dally
• infinitive: to dally
• gerund: dallying
• participle: dallying

Origin and Evolution of dallying

First Known Use: 1300 year

Language of Origin: Middle English, Old French

Story behind the word: The word 'dallying' originated from Middle English, derived from the Old French word 'dalier' meaning to play or trifle.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'dallying' has evolved to encompass not just playing or trifling, but also to include the idea of lingering or wasting time in a leisurely manner.