Standard Lemma guide

lollygag

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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.

  • /ˈlɒlɪɡæɡ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Silliness, nonsense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, uncountable

Examples

  • He likes to do his car up with blacked-out windows, and all that lollygag.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A useless or worthless person or thing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, dated

Examples

  • The lallygag strolls down the road that leads to Failureville.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To dawdle; to be lazy or idle; to avoid necessary work or effort.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dawdle, shirk, slack, procrastinate, blow off, cop out, dog, doss, duck, flinch, goldbrick, goof off, lollygag, malinger, shrink, slack off, soldier, swing the lead, weasel out

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To fool around, especially sexually.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, dated

Qualifier: 19th-20th centuries

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To effusively (often excessively) display affection.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, dated

Qualifier: 19th-20th centuries

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

be about

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square
  • Who is this man that is hanging around the department?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: loiter, lounge, footle, loaf, lallygag, hang around, mess about, tarry, linger, lurk, mill about, mill around

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: be

Narrower terms: prowl, lurch

History

Etymology

By surface analysis, lolly (“fool, tongue”) + gag (“fool around”). Compare lollypoop. Cited in American dialects from 1871 and attested since at least 1859.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: absurdité — silliness
  • German: Unsinn — silliness
  • Serbo-Croatian: bedastoća — silliness
  • Czech: lelkovat — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Czech: chytat lelky — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Dutch: lanterfanten — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Dutch: treuzelen — dawdle; to avoid work
  • French: paresser — dawdle; to avoid work
  • French: glandouiller — dawdle; to avoid work
  • French: glander — dawdle; to avoid work
  • German: trödeln — dawdle; to avoid work
  • German: schlampen — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Ancient Greek: ῥαθυμέω (rhathuméō) — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Polish: bałamucić — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Polish: zbałamucić — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Russian: безде́льничать (bezdélʹničatʹ) — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Serbo-Croatian: ljenčariti — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Serbo-Croatian: lenstvovati — dawdle; to avoid work
  • Serbo-Croatian: besposličariti — dawdle; to avoid work