idle
Not working or not being used at that moment.
Not engaged in work, activity, or use at a particular time.
Describing someone who does not want to work or try.
Describing a person who is habitually lazy and avoids work or effort.
To pass time doing very little or nothing important.
To spend time in a relaxed or aimless way, without doing anything important or productive.
For a car or machine engine to run slowly while the car or machine is not moving or working.
Of an engine or vehicle: to run at a low speed while not connected to a drive gear or not doing useful work.
Not serious or real; not likely to happen or change anything.
Having no real purpose, effect, or seriousness; not likely to lead to action or result.
- Base: idle
- Comparative: idler
- Superlative: idlest
- Base: idle
- 3rd Person Singular: idles
- Present Participle: idling
- Past: idled
idle away
1Spend time doing very little
To spend time doing very little or nothing important, usually in a relaxed way.
- We idled away the afternoon by the pool.
- He likes to idle away his weekends playing simple games.
idle chatter
1Light, meaningless conversation
Quick, light talk with no serious topic or goal.
- The room was full of idle chatter before the talk began.
- They exchanged idle chatter while waiting for the train.
idle curiosity
1Curiosity with no real need
Wanting to know something just for interest, not because you need the information.
- Out of idle curiosity, he checked how much the house next door had sold for.
- She asked the question from idle curiosity, not because it mattered.
idle hands are the devil's workshop
1Doing nothing can lead to trouble
If people have nothing useful to do, they may start doing bad or foolish things.
- She encouraged her children to join clubs because she believed that idle hands are the devil's workshop.
- The program aims to keep teenagers busy, based on the idea that idle hands are the devil's workshop.
idle talk
1Unimportant, not serious talk
Talk that is not serious or important and will not change anything.
- Most of the meeting was just idle talk about office gossip.
- She dismissed the rumors as idle talk from bored coworkers.
idle threat
1Threat not meant seriously
A warning that someone says but does not really plan to do.
- The manager’s warning was not an idle threat; several people were fired.
- Parents sometimes make idle threats that their children know they will not keep.
lie idle
1Remain unused or not active
To stay without being used or active.
- Much of the equipment is lying idle in storage.
- The land has lain idle for years because of a legal dispute.
sit idle
1Sit without doing anything
To sit and not do any work or activity.
- He sat idle at his desk, waiting for the system to reboot.
- I do not want to sit idle while others do all the work.
stand idle
1Stand without doing anything
To stand and not do any work or activity.
- Several workers stood idle while they waited for new instructions.
- We cannot stand idle while the problem gets worse.
the idle rich
1Wealthy people who do not work
Rich people who do not have to work and often do very little.
- The novel is a sharp look at the lives of the idle rich.
- Many people resent the idle rich, who seem to live without worries.
idle speculation
1Guessing without real basis
Guesses and ideas about something when you do not have facts and the guesses are not very useful.
- Let's avoid idle speculation and wait for the official report.
- The report avoids idle speculation and sticks to the facts.
- The meeting turned into idle speculation about who might be promoted next.
- There was a lot of idle speculation about who would be promoted.