dawdle

When you’re moving tons of food at the edge of its usefulness — an average of 250,000 pounds or 125 tons every day — no one can afford to dawdle.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2024

If a few passengers dawdle while stowing their bag and finding their seat, it can make the difference between a flight being on time or late in the government’s official statistics.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 19, 2023

Allison said it’s important for investigators not to dawdle.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2023

And while there's still a need for a similarly big player to volumize Kernza sales, smaller companies can keep farmers growing the crop while consumer packaged goods companies dawdle on the sidelines.

From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2023

“Please don’t dawdle, young William. You have a task ahead of you.”

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

If Minnesota dawdles, it “will rack up $1 billion of deferred payments this year,” the CMS head said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

It is the role of prosecutors to vindicate that interest by initiating judicial action when a defendant dawdles.

From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2024

And yet, he almost takes pride in his ability to put things off, saying he dawdles on an “Olympic level.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2023

Many of Dellario’s gently impressionistic pictures depict Rock Creek as it dawdles through and around large, glistening rocks.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 26, 2022

—Three things weary: a lamp that will not burn, a messenger that dawdles, a table spread and waiting.

From The Book of Delight and Other Papers by Abrahams, Israel

In the 71st minute, off quick ball, with excellent field position and Murley lurking wide, Seb Atkinson similarly dawdled too long and had his kick blocked.

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026

Later, at Brasserie de Monaco, the principality’s craft beer brewery, I dawdled over a pint of Blonde de Monaco and fell into conversation with Nils, a Danish skipper.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

Not yet knowing what I was in for, though, I dawdled, thinking the journey too far and impractical, until I finally relented about 20 hours before totality over Idaho.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2024

Students dawdled in their first period classes with cameras off, waiting for teachers who had not been able to log in.

From New York Times ● Feb. 13, 2024

Ash dawdled behind, stroking the horse’s nose, hoping her stepmother would forget about her.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo

Cut a dawdling fight scene here and an interminable escape scene there, and the film would make a delightful in-universe companion to precede next summer’s “Superman” sequel, “Man of Tomorrow.”

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

Like, just in case someone’s dawdling, or being careless about where they’re dumping snow.

From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026

They try to take advantage of Anna Patten dawdling at the byeline as she's dispossessed by Martina Piemonte, but the rest of the Villa defence get back to ensure she can't move towards goal.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2024

Wearing an electric blue jacket emblazoned with the words “Tell Your Dog I Said Hi,” she crouches low to film a dawdling old pug named Jojo with her iPhone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2024

Her legs and her body trotted confidently ahead while her head drifted along behind like a dawdling balloon.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng