I. ˈdȯd ə l verb
( dawdled ; dawdled ; dawdling -ȯd( ə )liŋ ; dawdles )
Etymology: origin unknown
intransitive verb
: to waste time in idle lingering : spend more time than is necessary or usual in doing something
dawdle over your work
: loiter
dawdled about in the vestibule — Jane Austen
transitive verb
: to spend fruitlessly : waste
dawdled my time with … symbolic logic — M.R.Cohen
: spend lackadaisically
dawdle away their vacation — Angus Wilson
dawdle away four years in college
Synonyms: see delay
II. noun
( -s )
1. : dawdler
2. : the act or an instance of dawdling
a … dawdle over some of the book catalogs — O.W.Holmes †1935