Idioms are special phrases where the words together have a different meaning than what they say separately. People use them to make their speaking and writing more colorful and fun. In this article, you will learn fifty different idioms that are all about waiting too long to do things.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean delaying work. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Procrastination
1. Drag one’s feet
Definition: To delay doing something because you do not want to do it.
Used in a Sentence: Leo began to drag his feet when his mother told him to clean his messy room. / Do not drag your feet on this school project because the deadline is tomorrow morning.
Similar Expressions: Hesitate / Stall
2. Beat around the bush
Definition: To avoid talking about the main topic or delay taking action.
Used in a Sentence: Stop beating around the bush and tell me why you did not finish your homework. / He tried to beat around the bush instead of admitting that he forgot his chores.
Similar Expressions: Dodge / Evade
3. Kick the can down the road
Definition: To delay making a hard decision or dealing with a problem until later.
Used in a Sentence: The city leaders chose to kick the can down the road rather than fix the broken bridge today. / We cannot keep kicking the can down the road when it comes to studying for the big test.
Similar Expressions: Postpone / Delay
4. Sleep on it
Definition: To delay making a decision until the next day so you have more time to think.
Used in a Sentence: I am not sure which club to join, so I will sleep on it until tomorrow. / She decided to sleep on it before buying the expensive bicycle.
Similar Expressions: Wait / Ponder
5. Buy time
Definition: To do something that delays a process so you have more time to get ready.
Used in a Sentence: He asked the teacher a hard question to buy time before she called on him. / We need to buy time while the rest of our group finishes the poster.
Similar Expressions: Stall / Delay
6. Play for time
Definition: To act slowly in order to gain more time to figure out what to do.
Used in a Sentence: The basketball team tried to play for time by holding onto the ball. / She tried to play for time while trying to remember the answer to the math problem.
Similar Expressions: Stall / Procrastinate
7. Put on the back burner
Definition: To delay dealing with a task because it is not the most important thing right now.
Used in a Sentence: I had to put my video game playing on the back burner to focus on my science report. / Let us put this art project on the back burner until our history test is over.
Similar Expressions: Defer / Postpone
8. Sit on one’s hands
Definition: To do nothing and delay taking action when something needs to be done.
Used in a Sentence: We cannot just sit on one’s hands while our classroom is so messy. / He sat on his hands instead of helping his friends carry the heavy boxes.
Similar Expressions: Dally / Idle
9. Twiddle one’s thumbs
Definition: To spend time doing nothing while waiting for something to happen or for work to start.
Used in a Sentence: I was left sitting in the office, twiddling my thumbs for an hour. / Stop twiddling your thumbs and help me pack these books.
Similar Expressions: Waste time / Fritter
10. Foot-dragging
Definition: A slow or reluctant response that delays progress.
Used in a Sentence: The team showed too much foot-dragging when it was time to practice soccer drills. / Her foot-dragging caused us to miss the beginning of the movie.
Similar Expressions: Delay / Hesitation
11. Dilly-dally
Definition: To waste time through aimless wandering or delaying.
Used in a Sentence: Do not dilly-dally in the hallway or we will be late for lunch. / He likes to dilly-dally in the morning instead of getting dressed quickly.
Similar Expressions: Dawdle / Linger
12. Dawdle
Definition: To move or act too slowly, wasting valuable time.
Used in a Sentence: If you dawdle on the way to school, the front gates will be locked. / She always likes to dawdle when shopping for new clothes.
Similar Expressions: Linger / Loiter
13. Stall for time
Definition: To use tricks or excuses to make something take longer.
Used in a Sentence: The student tried to stall for time by pretending to look for his pencil. / We can try to stall for time until the rain stops falling.
Similar Expressions: Delay / Procrastinate
14. Procrastinate
Definition: To delay or postpone something that needs to be done.
Used in a Sentence: It is easy to procrastinate when your favorite television show is on. / Do not procrastinate on your reading assignment or you will have to stay up late.
Similar Expressions: Delay / Postpone
15. Put off
Definition: To decide to do something at a later time.
Used in a Sentence: I tend to put off cleaning my room until Saturday afternoon. / Never put off until tomorrow what you can easily finish today.
Similar Expressions: Postpone / Delay
16. Hang fire
Definition: To remain unexecuted or delayed for a period of time.
Used in a Sentence: The decision about the class trip will hang fire until next week. / Let the plans hang fire until we hear back from the principal.
Similar Expressions: Pend / Wait
17. Stalling tactics
Definition: Methods used to delay an action or decision.
Used in a Sentence: Asking silly questions was just one of his stalling tactics during class. / The teacher saw right through her stalling tactics and asked her to read the page.
Similar Expressions: Delays / Excuses
18. Linger
Definition: To stay somewhere or be slow to leave or act.
Used in a Sentence: He liked to linger in the cafeteria long after lunch ended. / Do not linger by the lockers or the bell will ring.
Similar Expressions: Dawdle / Dilly-dally
19. Loiter
Definition: To stand or wait around somewhere with no obvious purpose, wasting time.
Used in a Sentence: The security guard told the teenagers not to loiter near the entrance. / She stopped to loiter by the park fence to watch the dogs play.
Similar Expressions: Hang around / Idle
20. Spin one’s wheels
Definition: To spend time and effort working without making any real progress.
Used in a Sentence: I felt like I was spinning my wheels trying to solve that difficult puzzle. / Without a clear plan, we are just spinning our wheels on this assignment.
Similar Expressions: Flounder / Stumble
21. Beat the clock
Definition: To finish something just before a deadline, often because of waiting too long.
Used in a Sentence: He had to beat the clock to submit his art project before midnight. / We raced to beat the clock and finish the math quiz on time.
Similar Expressions: Rush / Scramble
22. Leave until the last minute
Definition: To wait until right before a deadline to start working.
Used in a Sentence: She always leaves her book report until the last minute and panics. / Do not leave your packing until the last minute before the trip.
Similar Expressions: Rush / Delay
23. Run down the clock
Definition: To waste time on purpose so that a time limit expires.
Used in a Sentence: The football team tried to run down the clock by keeping the ball. / He tried to run down the clock during cleanup time so he did not have to sweep.
Similar Expressions: Stall / Waste time
24. Take one’s sweet time
Definition: To do something very slowly, often when others want you to hurry.
Used in a Sentence: Grandpa took his sweet time putting on his shoes for the walk. / She took her sweet time getting out of bed this morning.
Similar Expressions: Dawdle / Move slowly
25. Let grass grow under one’s feet
Definition: To delay taking action or making progress.
Used in a Sentence: If you want to win the race, you cannot let grass grow under your feet. / He never lets grass grow under his feet when there is a new video game to try.
Similar Expressions: Hesitate / Linger
26. Idle
Definition: To spend time doing nothing or working slowly.
Used in a Sentence: The car engine was left to idle while Dad ran into the store. / Do not idle away your afternoon when you have chores to finish.
Similar Expressions: Loiter / Waste
27. Fritter away
Definition: To waste time or money little by little on unimportant things.
Used in a Sentence: I tend to fritter away my weekends playing video games instead of studying. / She did not want to fritter away her allowance on cheap toys.
Similar Expressions: Squander / Waste
28. Waste time
Definition: To use time poorly or do something that has no value.
Used in a Sentence: Playing video games all night is a great way to waste time. / Please do not waste time arguing about who gets to sit in the front seat.
Similar Expressions: Fritter / Idle
29. Bide one’s time
Definition: To wait quietly for a good opportunity to do something.
Used in a Sentence: He decided to bide his time until the teacher finished explaining the new game. / She is biding her time until she can show everyone her science project.
Similar Expressions: Wait / Lurk
30. Wait for the other shoe to drop
Definition: To delay action while nervously anticipating an inevitable event.
Used in a Sentence: We waited for the other shoe to drop after the principal walked into our quiet classroom. / Instead of fixing the leak, he just waited for the other shoe to drop.
Similar Expressions: Dally / Hesitate
31. Procrastinator
Definition: A person who regularly delays tasks until later.
Used in a Sentence: Mark is a classic procrastinator who always writes his essays the night before. / Being a chronic procrastinator can make school very stressful.
Similar Expressions: Delayer / Dawdler
32. Put things off
Definition: To reschedule an activity or task for a future time.
Used in a Sentence: It is easy to put things off when you are feeling tired after school. / My brother always likes to put things off until the weekend arrives.
Similar Expressions: Postpone / Delay
33. Shilly-shally
Definition: To fail to act or show hesitation through indecision.
Used in a Sentence: Do not shilly-shally when choosing your ice cream flavor because the line is long. / Her constant shilly-shallying caused us to miss the bus.
Similar Expressions: Hesitate / Waffle
34. Waffle
Definition: To fail to make up your mind or delay giving a clear answer.
Used in a Sentence: He began to waffle when the coach asked who wanted to play goalie. / Stop trying to waffle and tell me if you are coming to the party.
Similar Expressions: Hesitate / Vacillate
35. Hesitate
Definition: To pause before saying or doing something because of uncertainty.
Used in a Sentence: She did not hesitate to raise her hand when the teacher asked a question. / Do not hesitate to ask for help if the math problem is too hard.
Similar Expressions: Pause / Wait
36. Pause
Definition: To stop doing something temporarily before continuing.
Used in a Sentence: Let us pause the movie for a minute so I can grab a snack. / He took a brief pause before answering the difficult question.
Similar Expressions: Rest / Stop
37. Procrastination station
Definition: A playful term for a place where someone sits while avoiding work.
Used in a Sentence: My comfortable couch turned into my personal procrastination station all afternoon. / He set up his laptop at the procrastination station instead of doing his history reading.
Similar Expressions: Hideout / Retreat
38. Drag the chain
Definition: To move or work much slower than others, causing delays.
Used in a Sentence: We cannot afford to drag the chain if we want to finish building the treehouse today. / He always starts to drag the chain when it is time to clean the garage.
Similar Expressions: Slow down / Lag
39. Lag behind
Definition: To fail to keep up with the pace of others due to slowness.
Used in a Sentence: I started to lag behind the rest of the hikers because my backpack was heavy. / Do not lag behind or you might get lost in the museum.
Similar Expressions: Fall behind / Trail
40. Fall behind
Definition: To fail to stay level with a schedule or group of people.
Used in a Sentence: If you miss two days of school, it is easy to fall behind in class. / He fell behind on his reading goals because he played outside too much.
Similar Expressions: Lag / Trail
41. Put on hold
Definition: To temporarily stop an activity or plan.
Used in a Sentence: We had to put our trip to the park on hold because it started raining. / She put her painting project on hold to study for her spelling test.
Similar Expressions: Postpone / Pause
42. Shelve
Definition: To temporarily put aside a plan or idea, often delaying it indefinitely.
Used in a Sentence: The club decided to shelve the idea of a bake sale until next spring. / We had to shelve our outdoor game plans when the wind picked up.
Similar Expressions: Postpone / Drop
43. Pigeonhole
Definition: To put a task or decision away in an archive to be dealt with much later.
Used in a Sentence: The teacher decided to pigeonhole the paperwork until after the holiday break. / He tends to pigeonhole his chores until his parents remind him.
Similar Expressions: File away / Defer
44. Stall
Definition: To stop making progress or cause something to slow down.
Used in a Sentence: The car engine began to stall as we drove up the steep hill. / Do not try to stall when it is time to turn off the lights for bed.
Similar Expressions: Delay / Stop
45. Postpone
Definition: To arrange for something to take place at a later time than originally planned.
Used in a Sentence: The baseball game was postponed due to heavy rain on the field. / We had to postpone our birthday party until next Saturday.
Similar Expressions: Delay / Defer
46. Defer
Definition: To put off an action to a future time.
Used in a Sentence: The committee decided to defer their decision until all members were present. / I will defer my choice of elective class until I talk to my counselor.
Similar Expressions: Postpone / Delay
47. Mothball
Definition: To stop using or working on something for a long time, storing it away.
Used in a Sentence: The school chose to mothball the old theater club costumes in the basement. / They decided to mothball their treehouse project until the summer.
Similar Expressions: Store / Shelve
48. Mark time
Definition: To do routine or unimportant things while waiting for something major to happen.
Used in a Sentence: We spent the first hour marking time before the special guest arrived. / He was just marking time at his desk until the final bell rang.
Similar Expressions: Wait / Idle
49. Buy a little time
Definition: To create a short delay so you can organize your thoughts or actions.
Used in a Sentence: Changing the subject helped her buy a little time before answering the question. / I drank some water to buy a little time during my speech.
Similar Expressions: Stall / Pause
50. Sit on one’s hands
Definition: To fail to take prompt action when something is urgent.
Used in a Sentence: The team could not afford to sit on their hands while the other side scored. / Do not sit on your hands when your little brother needs help finding his shoes.
Similar Expressions: Hesitate / Dally
Exercise to Practice
- Leo began to drag his feet when his mother told him to clean his messy room.
- Stop beating around the bush and make sure you finish your homework quickly.
- The city leaders chose to kick the can down the road rather than fix the broken bridge today.
- I am not sure which club to join, so I will run down the clock until tomorrow.
- He asked the teacher a hard question to buy time before she called on him.
- The basketball team tried to play for time by scoring as many points as possible.
- I had to put my video game playing on the back burner to focus on my science report.
- He sat on his hands instead of helping his friends carry the heavy boxes.
- I was left sitting in the office, doing all my chores for an hour.
- Her foot-dragging caused us to miss the beginning of the movie.
- Do not dilly-dally in the hallway or we will be late for lunch.
- She always likes to dawdle when shopping for new clothes.
- We can try to stall for time until the rain stops falling.
- It is easy to procrastinate when your favorite television show is on.
- Never put off until tomorrow what you can easily finish today.
Answer Key
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
- True
- True
- True
Conclusion
Learning idioms about procrastination helps you understand how people talk about waiting and delaying work in everyday life. Knowing these fun expressions makes your English vocabulary much stronger and more colorful.
Try using one or two of these idioms the next time you talk with your friends or write a story. You will see how much fun it is to express your thoughts in creative ways!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some common idioms for procrastination?
Some very common idioms include dragging your feet, putting things off, and kicking the can down the road. People use these phrases to describe waiting too long to start or finish a task.
Why do we use idioms in English?
Idioms make our language more expressive, interesting, and colorful than using plain words alone. They help paint a mental picture for the listener or reader.
How can I remember procrastination idioms easily?
You can remember them better by connecting each phrase to a real situation in your own life, like homework or chores. Using them in simple sentences every day also helps you learn them fast.
Are idioms used in formal writing?
Idioms are usually best for casual conversation, stories, and friendly letters rather than strict school reports. Teachers often prefer clear, direct language for formal essays and tests.
Can idioms have more than one meaning?
Most idioms have one main accepted meaning, but the exact way people use them can vary slightly depending on the context. Paying attention to how others use the phrase helps you understand it correctly.
