idle
adjective
not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing.
had idled
-
past perfectof idle.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then there is MP, which restarted the Mountain Pass mine in 2018 External link after it had idled in 2015.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
Brokers said a loaded supertanker chartered by Shell that was supposed to cross the Strait of Hormuz had idled, while another was racing through the strait en route to South Korea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
GM last month said it had idled its Fairfax, Kansas, plant because of a parts shortage stemming from the strike, resulting in 2,000 indefinite layoffs.
From Reuters ● Oct. 2, 2023
Producers in Indonesia, another major Asian exporter, had idled several important mines in response to falling prices but are reversing course as prices rise.
From New York Times ● Dec. 13, 2017
As a boy Roger had idled away his summers rowing lazily about in Manzanita Bay, a lovely blue cove lying in the lee of the Olympic Mountains.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
