dal‧ly /ˈdæli/ verb (past tense and past participle dalliedpresent participle dallyingthird person singular dallies)[I] 1) to take too long to do something, especially to make a decisionAfter months of dallying, the government has finally agreed to allow the plan to go ahead. 2) to spend some time in a place, on your way to somewhere elseHe dallied in the Lake District for a while, then crossed to Belgium. dally with somebody/somethingphrasal verb 1) to do something or think about something, but not in a very serious wayThey’ve dallied with the idea of touring round the world. 2) (old-fashioned) to have a romantic relationship with someone, but not in a serious way