verb
dally
DA-lee
verb
1
To waste time or delay unnecessarily.
"Stop dallying and get to the point."
"We can't dally any longer — the deadline is tonight."
2
To flirt or engage in a casual romance.
"He was accused of dallying with a colleague."
How to Use Dally
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo waste time, or to flirt casually without serious intent.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
dally about
dally with
Word Forms
dallied past tense, dallied past tense, dallies plural, Dallys plural, Dallies plural, dallies singular, dallies singular
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Etymology
From Anglo-Norman delaier, the same root that gives us "delay."