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⇱ idle - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

idle

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈaɪdəl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈaɪdəl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(īd′l)

Inflections of 'idle' (adj):
idler
adj comparative
idlest
adj superlative
Inflections of 'idle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
idles
v 3rd person singular
idling
v pres p
idled
v past
idled
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
i•dle /ˈaɪdəl/USA pronunciation   adj., i•dler, i•dlest, v., i•dled, i•dling, n. 
adj. 
  1. not working or active;
    doing nothing:idle machinery; Most of the men were idle during the depression.
  2. not filled with activity:idle hours.
  3. habitually avoiding work;
    lazy:She's been idle ever since she came back from college.
  4. of no real worth or purpose:[usually: before a noun]idle threats.

v. 
  1. to pass time doing nothing;
    waste time: [no object]They appeared to be idling near the doorway.[~ + away + object]idled away the afternoon.[~ + object + away]They idled the afternoon away, playing cards.
  2. Automotive, Mechanical Engineering(of a machine or mechanism) to (cause to) operate at a low speed, not connected to a load: [no object]The car idled at the red light.[~ + object]The driver idled his car's engine.
  3. to cause to be out of work or unemployed:[~ + object]The strike idled many workers.
i•dle•ness, n. [uncountable]
i•dler, n. [countable]
id•ling, adj. [before a noun]:an engine at idling speed.
i•dly, adv.: chatted idly.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
i•dle  (īd′l),USA pronunciation adj., i•dler, i•dlest, v. i•dled, i•dling, n. 
adj. 
  1. not working or active;
    unemployed;
    doing nothing:idle workers.
  2. not spent or filled with activity:idle hours.
  3. not in use or operation;
    not kept busy:idle machinery.
  4. habitually doing nothing or avoiding work;
    lazy.
  5. of no real worth, importance, or significance:idle talk.
  6. having no basis or reason;
    baseless;
    groundless:idle fears.
  7. frivolous;
    vain:idle pleasures.
  8. meaningless;
    senseless:idle threats.
  9. futile;
    unavailing:idle rage.

v.i. 
  1. to pass time doing nothing.
  2. to move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly:to idle along the avenue.
  3. Automotive, Mechanical Engineering(of a machine, engine, or mechanism) to operate at a low speed, disengaged from the load.

v.t. 
  1. to pass (time) doing nothing (often fol. by away):to idle away the afternoon.
  2. to cause (a person) to be idle:The strike idled many workers.
  3. Mechanical Engineeringto cause (a machine, engine, or mechanism) to idle:I waited in the car while idling the engine.

n. 
  1. the state or quality of being idle.
  2. Automotive, Mechanical Engineeringthe state of a machine, engine, or mechanism that is idling:a cold engine that stalls at idle.
  • bef. 900; 1915–20 for def. 12; Middle English, Old English īdel (adjective, adjectival) empty, trifling, vain, useless; cognate with German eitel
i′dle•ness, n. 
i′dly, adv. 
    1. sluggish. Idle, indolent, lazy, slothful apply to a person who is not active. To be idle is to be inactive or not working at a job. The word is sometimes derogatory, but not always, since one may be relaxing temporarily or may be idle through necessity:pleasantly idle on a vacation; to be idle because one is unemployed or because supplies are lacking.The indolent person is naturally disposed to avoid exertion:indolent and slow in movement; an indolent and contented fisherman.The lazy person is averse to exertion or work, and esp. to continued application; the word is usually derogatory:too lazy to earn a living; incurably lazy.Slothful denotes a reprehensible unwillingness to carry one's share of the burden:so slothful as to be a burden on others. 5. worthless, trivial, trifling. 7. wasteful. 11. See loiter. 13. waste.
    1. busy, industrious. 5. important, worthwhile.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
idle /ˈaɪdəl/ adj
  1. unemployed or unoccupied; inactive
  2. not operating or being used
  3. (of money) not being used to earn interest or dividends
  4. not wanting to work; lazy
  5. (usually prenominal) frivolous or trivial: idle pleasures
  6. ineffective or powerless; fruitless; vain
  7. without basis; unfounded
 vb
  1. when tr, often followed by away: to waste or pass (time) fruitlessly or inactively
  2. (intransitive) (of a shaft, engine, etc) to turn without doing useful work
  3. (intransitive) (of an engine) to run at low speed with the transmission disengaged
Etymology: Old English īdel; compare Old High German ītal empty, vainˈidleness n ˈidly adv
'idle' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: left the [car, engine] running idle, has been idle for [one hour], the [system, program, application] has been idle for, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "idle" in the title:

'Twiddle' fingers = idle
a ragged idle
against the beauty of the wasted, idle hour
An idle mind... (Proverb)
be idle / do nothing
being idle
bone idle
brewing idle
Can I Say "I'm pending because of some problems in the development environment or I'm Idle ... ?"
Can you idle up a little more for me?
engage in (a) vain /(an) idle gossip. [article]
full gas or idle?
holds out baits to render thousands idle and vicious
I am sure you will not fail in evincing superiority to idle terrors
I'm going to be <idle>
idle away
idle away a meaningless life
Idle bull
idle class
Idle course (of a river)
idle dream
idle eye(s)
idle free zone ,turn engine off
idle in neutral
idle on Monday, hungry on Tuesday
idle splendour
Idle the day away (at home)
idle thought
idle too low
Idle vs. free time vs. leisure time
more...

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