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idle

Syllabification: (i·dle)
Pronunciation: /ˈīdl/

Translate idle | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of idle

adjective (idler, idlest)

  • 1(especially of a machine or factory) not active or in use:assembly lines standing idle for lack of spare parts
  • (of a person) not working; unemployed.
  • (of a person) avoiding work; lazy.
  • [attributive] (of time) characterized by inaction or absence of significant activity:at no time in the day must there be an idle moment
  • (of money) held in cash or in accounts paying no interest.
  • 2without purpose or effect; pointless:he did not want to waste valuable time in idle chatter
  • (especially of a threat or boast) without foundation:I knew Ellen did not make idle threats

verb

[no object]
  • (of a person) spend time doing nothing; be idle:four men were idling outside the shop
  • move aimlessly or lazily:Cal idled past MetroHealth at a stately pace
  • (of an engine) run slowly while disconnected from a load or out of gear:the car is noisily idling in the street
  • [with object] cause (an engine) to idle.
  • [with object] take out of use or employment:he will close the newspaper, idling 2,200 workers

Phrasal Verbs

idle something away

spend one’s time doing nothing or very little.

Derivatives

idleness

noun

Origin:

Old English īdel 'empty, useless'; related to Dutch ijdel 'vain, frivolous, useless' and German eitel 'bare, worthless'

idle in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of idle in the British & World English dictionary