idle

1 of 2

adjective

ˈī-dᵊl How to pronounce idle (audio)
idler ˈī-dᵊl-ər How to pronounce idle (audio)
ˈīd-lər
 ; idlest ˈī-dᵊl-əst How to pronounce idle (audio)
ˈīd-ləst
Synonyms of idlenext
1
: not occupied or employed: such as
a
: having no employment : inactive
idle workers
b
: not turned to normal or appropriate use
idle farmland
c
: not scheduled to compete
the team will be idle tomorrow
2
: lacking worth or basis : vain
idle chatter
idle pleasure
3
a
: shiftless, lazy
b
: having no evident lawful means of support
idleness
ˈī-dᵊl-nəs How to pronounce idle (audio)
noun

idle

2 of 2

verb

idled; idling ˈī-dᵊl-iŋ How to pronounce idle (audio)
ˈīd-liŋ

intransitive verb

1
: to run at low power and often disconnected usually so that power is not used for useful work
the engine is idling
2
a
: to spend time in idleness
b
: to move idly

transitive verb

1
: to pass in idleness
2
: to cause to idle
3
: to make idle
workers idled by a strike

Synonyms

Adjective

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for idle

Adjective

vain, nugatory, otiose, idle, empty, hollow mean being without worth or significance.

vain implies either absolute or relative absence of value.

vain promises

nugatory suggests triviality or insignificance.

a monarch with nugatory powers

otiose suggests that something serves no purpose and is either an encumbrance or a superfluity.

a film without a single otiose scene

idle suggests being incapable of worthwhile use or effect.

idle speculations

empty and hollow suggest a deceiving lack of real substance or soundness or genuineness.

an empty attempt at reconciliation
a hollow victory

inactive, idle, inert, passive, supine mean not engaged in work or activity.

inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.

on inactive status as an astronaut
inactive accounts

idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.

workers were idle in the fields

inert as applied to things implies powerlessness to move or to affect other things; as applied to persons it suggests an inherent or habitual indisposition to activity.

inert ingredients in drugs
an inert citizenry

passive implies immobility or lack of normally expected response to an external force or influence and often suggests deliberate submissiveness or self-control.

passive resistance

supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.

a supine willingness to play the fool

Verb

idle, loaf, lounge, loll, laze mean to spend time doing nothing.

idle may be used in reference to persons that move lazily or without purpose.

idled the day away

loaf suggests either resting or wandering about as though there were nothing to do.

she does her work and then loafs the rest of the day

lounge, though occasionally used as equal to idle or loaf, typically conveys an additional implication of resting or reclining against a support or of physical comfort and ease in relaxation.

he lounged against the wall

loll also carries an implication of a posture similar to that of lounge, but places greater stress upon an indolent or relaxed attitude.

lolling on the couch

laze usually implies the relaxation of a busy person enjoying a vacation or moments of leisure.

lazed about between appointments

Examples of idle in a Sentence

Adjective There has been a lot of idle speculation about what might happen, but no one really knows. the idle days of summer Verb She left the engine idling for a few seconds before she turned it off. The cars idled in traffic. A group of boys idled in the doorway. The factory closed, idling several hundred workers. Thousands of workers have been idled by the bad economy. The factory has been idled by the strike.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
This increase is partly due to losses from factory relocation and idle capacity. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024 The software includes a detailed look at devices, including their names, current protection status, device state (running or idle), agent and agent state, last definitions update, number of existing backups, and total storage used. —PCMAG, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
The contract’s ratification on the eve of Election Day cleared the way for a major U.S. manufacturer and government contractor to restart Pacific Northwest assembly lines that the walkout idled for 53 days. —David Koenig, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024 Ford is idling its F-150 Lightning truck plant from mid-November through the end of 2024, the Detroit Press and other outlets reported last month. —Bill Koenig, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for idle 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English idel, from Old English īdel; akin to Old High German ītal worthless

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of idle was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing idle

Dictionary Entries Near idle

IDK

idle

idleby

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Idle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idle. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

idle

1 of 2 adjective
ˈīd-ᵊl How to pronounce idle (audio)
idler ˈīd-lər How to pronounce idle (audio)
-ᵊl-ər
 ; idlest ˈīd-ləst How to pronounce idle (audio)
-ᵊl-əst
1
: having no worth or basis
idle rumors
idle chatter
2
: not being used or employed
idle workers
idle factories
idle hours
3
: lazy sense 1
idleness
ˈīd-ᵊl-nəs How to pronounce idle (audio)
noun
idly
ˈīd-lē How to pronounce idle (audio)
-ᵊl-ē
adverb

idle

2 of 2 verb
idled; idling ˈīd-liŋ How to pronounce idle (audio)
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to spend time doing nothing
2
: to run without being connected for doing useful work
left the engine idling
idler
ˈīd-lər How to pronounce idle (audio)
-ᵊl-ər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on idle

Nglish: Translation of idle for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of idle for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...