at loose ends

Idioms  

1. In an unsettled or uncertain situation. For example, This whole visit has left me feeling restless, constantly at loose ends, or Jane couldn't find a job this year and so is at loose ends for the summer. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

And Mr. Neville gives us a sense—not only through the audio but also in the fragmented imagery and abbreviated sequencing—of a superstar at loose ends.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

So much so that when Lourdes Lopez, the director of Miami City Ballet, reached out to him, eager to help a Ukrainian dancer at loose ends, he hesitated.

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2024

Affleck also seems completely at loose ends here.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2023

She soon finds a friend and travel companion in Gill, a British college student of about the same age and similarly at loose ends.

From Washington Post • Oct. 3, 2022

To be honest, the boss was a little pooped; a bit under the weather; unhappy, and baffled too; call it at loose ends.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols