to waste time, especially by being slow or indecisive, to behave in a way that shows you are attracted to someone but do not want a serious relationship with them, to handle something without taking it seriously

dally with danger, dally around, dally with death

Formal and Informal Expressions of dally

In different contexts, you can replace 'dally' with suitable alternatives. In a more formal setting, 'procrastinate, delay' is apt. In informal speech or writing, 'fool around, mess around' is a commonplace synonym.

dally: Explore its Definition & Usage

dally Definition

1to waste time, especially by being slow or indecisive
2to behave in a way that shows you are attracted to someone but do not want a serious relationship with them
3to handle something without taking it seriously

Using dally: Examples

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "dally" can be used in various situations through the following examples!

Example
Stop dallying and get back to work!
Example
She dallied over her decision for weeks.
Example
He was dallying with several women at once.
Example
Don't dally with the knife like that, you might hurt yourself.

dally Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms for dally

Antonyms for dally

Phrases with dally

dally with danger
to take unnecessary risks or behave recklessly
Example
He's always been one to dally with danger, but he's lucky he hasn't gotten hurt yet.
dally around
to waste time doing unimportant things
Example
We can't dally around any longer, we need to start working on this project.
dally with death
to engage in activities that are very dangerous and could result in death
Example
He loved to dally with death by doing extreme sports like skydiving and bungee jumping.

Origins of dally

from Old Norse 'dolgr', meaning 'enemy'

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Summary: dally in Brief

The verb 'dally' [ˈdæli] means to waste time, be indecisive, or handle something without seriousness. It can also refer to behaving in a flirtatious manner without wanting a serious relationship. Examples include 'Stop dallying and get back to work!' and 'He was dallying with several women at once.' Phrases like 'dally with danger' and 'dally around' denote taking risks or wasting time, respectively.