Definition of 'idle'

Word Frequency

idle

(aɪdəl )

Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense idles , present participle idling , past tense, past participle idled

1. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE]

If people who were working are idle, they have no jobs or work.

Employees have been idle almost a month because of shortages.

Synonyms: unoccupied, unemployed, redundant, jobless More Synonyms of idle

2. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE]

If machines or factories are idle, they are not working or being used.

Now the machine is lying idle.

...factories that had been idle for years.

Synonyms: unused, stationary, inactive, out of order More Synonyms of idle

3. adjective

If you say that someone is idle, you disapprove of them because they are not doing anything and you think they should be.

[disapproval]

...idle bureaucrats who spent the day reading newspapers.

I never met such an idle bunch of workers in all my life!

Synonyms: lazy, slow, slack, sluggish More Synonyms of idle

idleness uncountable noun

Idleness is a very bad thing for human nature.

Synonyms: loafing, inertia, sloth, pottering More Synonyms of idle

Synonyms: inactivity, unemployment, leisure, inaction More Synonyms of idle

idly adverb [ADVERB with verb]

We were not idly sitting around.

4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]

Idle is used to describe something that you do for no particular reason, often because you have nothing better to do.

Brian kept up the idle chatter for another five minutes.

...idle curiosity.

Synonyms: trivial, superficial, insignificant, frivolous More Synonyms of idle

idly adverb [ADVERB with verb, ADVERB adjective]

We talked idly about magazines and baseball.

'Has there been an accident?' Gary asked, idly curious.

Synonyms: lazily, casually, passively, languidly More Synonyms of idle

5. adjective [it v-link ADJ to-inf]

If you say that it is idle to do something, you mean that it is not worth doing it, because it will not achieve anything.

It would be idle to pretend the system is perfect.

Synonyms: useless, vain, pointless, hopeless More Synonyms of idle

6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]

You refer to an idle threat or boast when you do not think the person making it will or can do what they say.

It was more of an idle threat than anything.

His statement isn't merely an idle boast.

Synonyms: empty, useless, hollow, vain More Synonyms of idle

7. verb

If you idle, you spend time in a lazy way, doing nothing in particular.

When they reached his house, Scobie idled a bit, finishing his cigarette. [VERB]

We spent many hours idling in one of the cafes that line three sides of the tiny piazza. [VERB]

He idled around afterwards, window shopping until about 5pm. [VERB adverb/preposition]

Synonyms: do nothing, slack, hang out [informal], languish More Synonyms of idle

8. verb

To idle a factory or other place of work means to close it down because there is no work to do or because the workers are on strike.

[US, business]

...idled assembly plants. [VERB-ed]

[Also VERB noun]regional note: in BRIT, usually use shut down

9. verb

To idle workers means to stop them working.

[US, business]

The strike has idled about 55,000 machinists. [VERB noun]

regional note: in BRIT, use lay off

10. verb

If an engine or vehicle is idling, the engine is running slowly and quietly because it is not in gear, and the vehicle is not moving.

Beyond a stand of trees a small plane idled. [VERB]

Her Daimler limo waits with its engine idling. [VERB]

Synonyms: tick over, be in neutral More Synonyms of idle

Phrasal verbs:

See idle away

More Synonyms of idle

Video: pronunciation of
idle

idle in British English

(ˈaɪdəl )

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

5. (usually prenominal)

frivolous or trivial

idle pleasures

ineffective or powerless; fruitless; vain

without basis; unfounded

verb

8. (when tr, often foll by away)

to waste or pass (time) fruitlessly or inactively

he idled the hours away

9. (intransitive)

to loiter or move aimlessly

10. (intransitive)

(of a shaft, engine, etc) to turn without doing useful work

11. (intransitive)

(of an engine) to run at low speed with the transmission disengaged

Also (Brit): tick over

12. (transitive) US and Canadian

to cause to be inactive or unemployed

Derived forms

idleness (ˈidleness)

noun

idly (ˈidly)

adverb

Word origin

Old English īdel; compare Old High German ītal empty, vain

Word Frequency

idle in American English

(ˈaɪdəl )

adjectiveWord forms: ˈidler or ˈidlest

having no value, use, or significance; worthless; useless

idle talk

vain; futile; pointless

an idle wish

baseless; unfounded

idle rumors

unemployed; not busy

inactive; not in use

idle machines

not filled with activity

idle hours

not inclined to work; lazy

designating certain parts of a fuel system that set an engine's idling speed

verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈidled or ˈidling

to move slowly or aimlessly; loaf

to spend time unprofitably; be unemployed or inactive

to operate without transmitting power; esp., to operate a motor vehicle's engine while the vehicle is not moving

verb transitive

to waste; squander

usually with away

to idle away one's youth

10.

to cause (a motor, etc.) to idle

11.

to cause to be inactive or unemployed

noun

12.

the state or act of idling

an engine at idle

SIMILAR WORDS: ˈloiter, vain

Derived forms

idleness (ˈidleness)

noun

idly (ˈidly)

adverb

Word origin

ME idel < OE, empty, akin to Ger eitel, vain, empty < ? IE base *ai-dh, to burn, shine: basic sense, either “only apparent, seeming” or “burned out”

Word Frequency

idle in Mechanical Engineering

(aɪdəl)

Word forms: (present) idles, (past) idled, (perfect) idled, (progressive) idling

verb

(Mechanical engineering: General)

If an engine or shaft idles, it turns without doing anything useful, for example moving a vehicle forward or making another part move.

Let the engine idle for a few minutes after coming to a stop, then shut it down and let it cool.

A control program puts the car in neutral when it is idling, even when the gear selector is in another position.

If an engine or shaft idles, it turns without doing anything useful, for example moving a vehicle forward or making another part move.

Example sentences including
idle

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

His players must now ensure it is a promise and not just an idle threat.It was no idle threat.The problem can also happen when the engine is idling.What the posters proclaimed was no idle boast.Another sanction might seem an idle threat but is not.Some motorists are already keeping their vehicles idling overnight to stop them freezing.He was idling a bit but he deserved this.They are too busy for idle chatter.Motorists will be urged to drive outside busy times and turn off their engines when idling.It was more than an idle boast.