idle
Americanadjective
-
idler,
comparative
-
idlest
superlative
-
not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing.
idle workers.
- Synonyms:
- sluggish
- Antonyms:
- industrious, busy
-
not spent or filled with activity.
idle hours.
-
not in use or operation; not kept busy.
idle machinery.
-
habitually doing nothing or avoiding work; lazy.
-
of no real worth, importance, or significance.
idle talk.
- Antonyms:
- worthwhile, important
-
having no basis or reason; baseless; groundless.
idle fears.
-
frivolous; vain.
idle pleasures.
- Synonyms:
- wasteful
-
meaningless; senseless.
idle threats.
-
futile; unavailing.
idle rage.
verb (used without object)
-
idles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
idled,
past participle, past
-
idling
present participle
-
to pass time doing nothing.
-
to move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly.
to idle along the avenue.
-
(of a machine, engine, or mechanism) to operate at a low speed, disengaged from the load.
verb (used with object)
-
idles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
idled,
past participle, past
-
idling
present participle
-
to pass (time) doing nothing (often followed byaway ).
to idle away the afternoon.
- Synonyms:
- waste
-
to cause (a person) to be idle.
The strike idled many workers.
-
to cause (a machine, engine, or mechanism) to idle.
I waited in the car while idling the engine.
noun
-
the state or quality of being idle.
-
the state of a machine, engine, or mechanism that is idling.
a cold engine that stalls at idle.
adjective
-
unemployed or unoccupied; inactive
-
not operating or being used
-
(of money) not being used to earn interest or dividends
-
not wanting to work; lazy
-
(usually prenominal) frivolous or trivial
idle pleasures
-
ineffective or powerless; fruitless; vain
-
without basis; unfounded
verb
-
to waste or pass (time) fruitlessly or inactively
he idled the hours away
-
(intr) to loiter or move aimlessly
-
(intr) (of a shaft, engine, etc) to turn without doing useful work
-
Also (Brit): tick over. (intr) (of an engine) to run at low speed with the transmission disengaged
-
(tr) to cause to be inactive or unemployed
Synonym Usage
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 especially 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. See loiter.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
idlesimple
-
idlessimple
-
have idledperfect
-
has idledperfect
-
am idlingprogressive
-
are idlingprogressive
-
is idlingprogressive
-
have been idlingperfect progressive
-
has been idlingperfect progressive
Past
-
idledsimple
-
had idledperfect
-
was idlingprogressive
-
were idlingprogressive
-
had been idlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of idle
First recorded before 900, and in 1915–20 idle for def. 12; Middle English, Old English īdel (adjective) “empty, trifling, vain, useless”; cognate with German eitel
Explanation
Something idle is not active. If your car is idling, it's running but not moving. If someone calls you idle, it either means they think you don't have enough to do or that you're just plain lazy. Idle can also mean having no value or purpose: idle rumors are rumors that people make up when they're bored, but have no grounding in fact. As a verb, idle can also refer to a car engine that is running while the vehicle is not moving. The adjective descends from Middle English idel, from Old English īdel "empty."
Vocabulary lists containing idle
Some Tricky Homonyms
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The Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer
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List 8
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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.
See Examples For:
After the Standard shut down, the building fell idle for years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Kim Jong Un made a surprise trip to China across a newly opened $300 million border bridge that had sat idle for a decade, meeting senior officials like Wang Huning but not Xi Jinping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
The process is somewhat like monitoring a car engine to determine whether it continues running at high speed even when the vehicle is supposed to be idle.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
After sitting idle for months at a maintenance facility, it relocated in early July to waters off a strip of coastline known as the Kalma Peninsula.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
“This is what comes from such idle behavior,” Chaol chuckled, stepping to the side so that Dorian stumbled forward.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
There is an almost continuous succession of scenes in which Nicholson sketches this idler, lover, jokester, manipulator, con man, gambler, loner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2023
Oh, that would be the uncle who willed his farm and estate to Onegin, a charming idler.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2020
What’s missing is a palpable grit, particularly in Whitted’s performance, that would help us to a belief in Hal’s head-spinning pivot from idler and carouser to beloved hero of the realm.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 10, 2019
The album title, she said, refers to the role of the idler wheel in an engine, which does not propel directly but is connected to everything.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2012
He was no idler, and preferred work to play.
From Kenneth McAlpine A Tale of Mountain, Moorland and Sea by Gordon Stables
Shettleston is one of Britain’s poorest, idlest and sickest places; at 64, male life expectancy is 15 years below the national average and falling.
From Economist ● Jul. 10, 2014
On the idlest previous day in the history of the bureau, Feb. 25, 1932, there had been 56 licenses issued.
From Time Magazine Archive
Those who've never met before, Ne'er each other known nor seen, Never in the idlest hour Thus employ'd their thoughts have been, Yet whose hearts and hands in love Tieth God who lives above!
From Paul Gerhardt's Spiritual Songs Translated by John Kelly by Paul Gerhardt
He who reads this without sympathy, ought to reject these volumes as the idlest he ever read, and honour me with his contempt.
From Calamities and Quarrels of Authors by Isaac Disraeli
Oh, be very sure the idlest man is the man most truly unhappy!
From Practical Religion Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians by John Charles Ryle
Your internal machinery fires when you want to sleep and idles when you need to be sharp.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
As I sit in the car with C after the second ICE vehicle sped off, the remaining Wagoneer idles midblock—right in front of C’s house.
From Slate ● Jan. 16, 2026
The strike idles many entertainment industry workers, delaying the start of the television season until November.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2023
A man drives by in a beat-up blue Camry, waving a green Seahawks helmet out the window as he idles along.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2020
The car idles in front of my house.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Slower chargers keep trucks idled for hours and require companies to buy more vehicles for the same job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Plus, Stellantis is in talks to sell its idled Toronto-area factory, as Canada’s Prime Minister works to strengthen ties to Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The risk of relying on one artery for so much trade was underscored after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when the bridge was temporarily closed and trucks idled in a miles-long traffic jam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
His girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, idled their car in a disabled parking spot, accompanied by the couple’s other child.
From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026
As we idled, stunned and silent in front of Dori Dilson’s sign, Susan’s parents came and retrieved her from Mr. Mc- Shane’s car.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
But Jacinto said Stelco is again idling Canadian capacity, removing Stelco supply from the U.S. and diverting production.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Owner-operator Deol uses battery-powered electric air conditioning systems installed on both his trucks so he can turn off the engines and avoid idling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
His comments on the sidelines of G20 talks come as Russian and Ukrainian strikes targeting Black Sea ports have been wrecking and idling agricultural export capacity more quickly than trade flows can recover.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Llyr Gruffydd, cabinet minister for rural resilience and sustainability, said the £20 fixed fine for idling was "insufficient", and not being used "in the way everyone might envision it".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
For a few seconds he sat where he was, the engine idling.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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