dawdle about
To waste time. If you want to get your allowance, quit dawdling about and do your chores! You can tell it's Monday because everyone in the office keeps dawdling about over by the water cooler. If you're dawdling about playing video games, then your book report better be done.
dawdle along
To walk in a slow and unconcerned manner. We'll never get there on time if you boys keep dawdling along. Hurry up! Yeah, I'll be at the playground soon, I've just got two toddlers dawdling along here. The movie starts in five minutes! Quit dawdling along and pick up the pace!
dawdle away
To waste time (often a specific amount of time that is stated after "away"). I had to stay up late finishing my book report because I dawdled away my whole afternoon. On Mondays, everyone in the office loves to dawdle away the morning over by the water cooler. If you want to get your allowance, quit dawdling the day away and do your chores!
dawdle over
To waste time rather than work diligently on something. If you keep dawdling over this book report, you'll be up all night! If you want to get your allowance, quit dawdling over your chores and just do them! Hey, don't dawdle over this report—I need it by end of day.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
dawdle about
to waste time in a place; to waste time talking idly. Don't dawdle about. Get moving. Tim has been dawdling about all morning.
dawdle along
to move along slowly and casually. The boys dawdled along on their way to school. We were just dawdling along, talking about life. We didn't know we were late.
dawdle over something
to waste time when one should be doing a particular task; to loaf while doing something. Don't dawdle over your hamburger. The lunch period ends in two minutes. Don't dawdle over it. Get it done.
dawdle something away
to waste a particular amount of time; to let a period of time slip away, wasted. You didn't finish your work because you dawdled most of your time away. You dawdle away too much time daydreaming.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.