name
Meaning 1
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
dally
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈdæli/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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homophone: DALY
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rhymes with -æli
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CMU ARPABET: D AE1 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in roping.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Alternative form of dolly (“offering of fruit or flowers”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: India, alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A New Zealand person of Croatian or other Balkan descent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: New-Zealand, colloquial
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness; to trifle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dawdle, dilly-dally, arse about, arse around, bludge, bum around, cabbage, clown around, dally, dick about, dick around, diddle, dretch, drumble, faff, faff about, faff around, fanny about, fanny around, fart about, fart around, fiddle about, fiddle around, fool about, fool around, footle, forslow, goof around, goof off, hang about, hang around, hang out, horse around, idle, jerk off, lallygag, lamp, laze, laze about, laze around, linger, loaf, loaf about, loaf around, loiter, lollop, lollygag, mess around, mill about, mill around, muck about, muck around, piddle, pingle, stand by, tarry, tool around, waste time, while
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To caress, especially of a sexual nature; to fondle or pet
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: ambitransitive
Examples
- 2024, The November Nethack Tournament achievements Dally with a foocubus
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: feel up, grope, touch up, canoodle, caress, chuckle, coax, cosset, dally, dandle, dawt, faddle, fond, fondle, grabble, nantle, pet, pettle, shift, smuggle, tiddle, worship
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To delay unnecessarily; to while away.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: kill time
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To wind the lasso rope (ie throw-rope) around the saddle horn (the saddle horn is attached to the pommel of a western style saddle) after the roping of an animal
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
consider not very seriously
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- He is trifling with her
- She plays with the thought of moving to Tasmania
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: trifle, play
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: consider, take, deal, look at
verb
Meaning 10
talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries
- My husband never flirts with other women
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: chat up, flirt, butterfly, coquet, coquette, romance, philander, mash
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: talk, speak
Narrower terms: wanton, vamp
verb
Meaning 11
waste time
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Get busy--don't dally!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dawdle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: act, behave, do
verb
Meaning 12
behave carelessly or indifferently
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Play about with a young girl's affection
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: toy, play, flirt
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: act, move
History
Etymology
Possibly from Spanish dale vuelta (“twist it around”) by law of Hobson-Jobson, from dale + la + vuelta.
Contraction of "Dalmatian Coast", from where many Croatian emigrants originated. Also spelt "Dallie"
From Middle English dalien, from Anglo-Norman delaier. Doublet of delay.
Across languages
Translations
35 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: تضييع الوقت (tadyie alwaqt) — to waste time
- Bulgarian: губя си времето (gubja si vremeto) — to waste time
- Bulgarian: играя си (igraja si) — to waste time
- Czech: lelkovat — to waste time
- French: procrastiner — to waste time
- French: lambiner — to waste time
- French: lanterner — to waste time
- French: traîner — to waste time
- German: tändeln — to waste time
- German: trödeln — to waste time
- Italian: trastullarsi — to waste time
- Māori: whakarunaruna — to waste time
- Polish: bałamucić — to waste time
- Polish: zbałamucić — to waste time
- Russian: тра́тить вре́мя впусту́ю (trátitʹ vrémja vpustúju) — to waste time
- Russian: безде́льничать (bezdélʹničatʹ) — to waste time
- Russian: прохлажда́ться (proxlaždátʹsja) — to waste time
- Russian: развлека́ться (razvlekátʹsja) — to waste time
- Russian: игра́ться (igrátʹsja) — to waste time
- Russian: игра́ть (igrátʹ) — to waste time
- Turkish: oyalanmak — to waste time
- Turkish: `primarily to delay unnecessarily`) — to waste time
- Turkish: boşa vakit harcamak — to waste time
- Bulgarian: флиртувам (flirtuvam) — to interchange caresses
- French: flirter — to interchange caresses
- Russian: флиртова́ть (flirtovátʹ) — to interchange caresses
- Russian: коке́тничать (kokétničatʹ) — to interchange caresses
- Bulgarian: отлагам (otlagam) — to delay unnecessarily
- Czech: protahovat — to delay unnecessarily
- Czech: loudat se — to delay unnecessarily
- Czech: váhat — to delay unnecessarily
- French: lanterner — to delay unnecessarily
- French: lambiner — to delay unnecessarily
- Russian: откла́дывать (otkládyvatʹ) — to delay unnecessarily
- Turkish: oyalanmak — to delay unnecessarily