Meaning & use
dawled
Last updated
“dawled” is a form of “dawdle”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbintransitive
Past tense of dawdle: to waste time by moving or acting too slowly.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'around' or 'over'.
Patterns
- dawdle over something
- dawdle around
- dawdle on the way
He dawled over his breakfast and missed the bus.
She dawled around the shops instead of going home.
The children dawled on the way to school.
Word forms
| third person singular | dawdles |
|---|---|
| past tense | dawdled |
| past participle | dawdled |
| -ing form | dawdling |
Common combinations
- dawdle over a meal
- He dawdled over his meal and made everyone late.
- dawdle around
- Stop dawdling around and help me.
- dawdle on the way
- We dawdled on the way to the station.
- dawdle along
- The old man dawdled along the street.
Synonyms and how they differ
- linger
- Suggests staying in a place longer than necessary, often pleasantly; dawdle focuses on being slow and wasting time.
- dally
- Means to waste time or be slow, but is more literary and often used with 'over'.
- loiter
- Means to stand around without a clear purpose, often in a public place; dawdle is about moving or acting slowly.
Opposites
Word family
- dawdler noun
- A person who dawdles.
- dawdling adjective
- Slow and wasting time.
Commonly confused: dawled or dawdled?
dawled vs dawdled
This is the correct spelling for the past tense; 'dawled' is a misspelling.
Practice
Which sentence uses the correct past tense form of 'dawdle'?
Choose one answer.
The past tense of 'dawdle' is 'dawdled', not 'dawled'. Option C mixes present tense with 'yesterday', and D uses present continuous with 'yesterday'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dawled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.