idle
1 of 2adjective
ˈī-dᵊl 
idler ˈī-dᵊl-ər
ˈīd-lər
; idlest ˈī-dᵊl-əst ˈīd-ləst
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
noun idle
2 of 2verb
idled; idling ˈī-dᵊl-iŋ
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
- dead
- dormant
- fallow
- free
- inactive
- inert
- inoperative
- latent
- off
- unused
- vacant
Verb
- bum
- chill
- dally
- dawdle
- dillydally
- drone
- footle
- goof (off)
- hack (around)
- hang (around or out)
- hang about [British]
- kick around
- kick back
- laze
- lazy
- loaf
- loll
- lounge
- veg out
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
R. Sirvell Carter, al, 15 Sep. 2022 To his credit, Field hasn’t exactly been idle since 2006. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 1 Sep. 2022 Aspen Pharmacare’s vaccine production line in South Africa has been idle for months. Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 1 Sep. 2022 Commercial fishing vessels sat idle, obeying official regulations to restore depleted fisheries. Walter Nicklin, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2022 Supply chain leaders need to measure the costs of both incremental capacity and idle capacity to understand their elastic capacity range. Dorothy Li, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022 The industry has idle capacity of 225,000 metric tons a year that can still be used, the ministry added. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 5 July 2021 For vaccines, there wasn’t idle capacity to manufacture at scale. Scott Gottlieb, WSJ, 23 May 2021 San Francisco was also idle after losing two of three over the weekend in Colorado. Tyler J. Davis, Detroit Free Press, 23 Aug. 2022 Cindy Wang, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022 Do not idle your vehicle, as exhaust contributes to ozone formation. Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 11 July 2022 Ford plans to idle a plant near Kansas City, Mo. that makes its highly profitable F-150 pickup truck. Garth Friesen, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 In her Senate remarks, Raimondo also pointed to recent reports that two Russian tank manufacturers have had to idle production due to a lack of components. Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 11 May 2022 Tour buses idle outside the compound's black metal fence where visitors from around the country disembark to see Magnolia in person. Brianna Griff, Chron, 8 Aug. 2022 But Welter and some workers at the plant worry if the protest continues, GM may have to idle some production at Flint. Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 10 Feb. 2022 The real truth is, Jeff’s quest for creating a better society detaches him from an everyday, idle one. Liza Lentini, SPIN, 16 June 2022 The company has told drivers not to idle when possible, but turning trucks on and off also uses more fuel. Sean Mcdonnell, cleveland, 14 June 2022 See More
Adjective
Athens is 0-2 in Class 6A, Region 7 and will be idle next week before a stretch of region games against Cullman, Hartselle and Columbia. R. Sirvell Carter, al, 15 Sep. 2022 To his credit, Field hasn’t exactly been idle since 2006. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 1 Sep. 2022 Aspen Pharmacare’s vaccine production line in South Africa has been idle for months. Annalisa Merelli, Quartz, 1 Sep. 2022 Commercial fishing vessels sat idle, obeying official regulations to restore depleted fisheries. Walter Nicklin, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2022 Supply chain leaders need to measure the costs of both incremental capacity and idle capacity to understand their elastic capacity range. Dorothy Li, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022 The industry has idle capacity of 225,000 metric tons a year that can still be used, the ministry added. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 5 July 2021 For vaccines, there wasn’t idle capacity to manufacture at scale. Scott Gottlieb, WSJ, 23 May 2021 San Francisco was also idle after losing two of three over the weekend in Colorado. Tyler J. Davis, Detroit Free Press, 23 Aug. 2022 Verb
Ship owners, worried about the possibility of missile strikes, are choosing to idle vessels and burn extra fuel until the drills pass. Cindy Wang, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022 Do not idle your vehicle, as exhaust contributes to ozone formation. Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 11 July 2022 Ford plans to idle a plant near Kansas City, Mo. that makes its highly profitable F-150 pickup truck. Garth Friesen, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2021 In her Senate remarks, Raimondo also pointed to recent reports that two Russian tank manufacturers have had to idle production due to a lack of components. Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 11 May 2022 Tour buses idle outside the compound's black metal fence where visitors from around the country disembark to see Magnolia in person. Brianna Griff, Chron, 8 Aug. 2022 But Welter and some workers at the plant worry if the protest continues, GM may have to idle some production at Flint. Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 10 Feb. 2022 The real truth is, Jeff’s quest for creating a better society detaches him from an everyday, idle one. Liza Lentini, SPIN, 16 June 2022 The company has told drivers not to idle when possible, but turning trucks on and off also uses more fuel. Sean Mcdonnell, cleveland, 14 June 2022 See More 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
Phrases Containing idle
Kids Definition
idle 1 of 2
adjective
ˈī-dᵊl
idler
ˈīd-lər
; idlest ˈīd-ləst
1
: not working or in use
idle workers
idle farmland
2
: lazy sense 1
3
: not based on anything real or serious
an idle threat
idle
2 of 2verb
idled; idling
ˈīd-liŋ
1
: to spend time doing nothing
I idled away the afternoon.
2
: to run without being connected for doing useful work
The engine is idling.
idle 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment the car was idle for two weeks while they went on vacation the company's competitors have not been idle in developing rival products Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dormant
- off
- unused
- vacant
- inactive
- dead
- inert
- inoperative
- fallow
- latent
- at rest
- free
- asleep
- interrupted
- unoccupied
- quiescent
- suspended
- useless
- out of commission
- slow
- unusable
- on the shelf
- lifeless
- sleepy
- comatose
- moribund
- arrested
- abeyant
- unworkable
- inoperable
- dull
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- active
- operating
- busy
- working
- on
- functioning
- operational
- operative
- employed
- alive
- running
- living
- going
- functional
- industrious
- workable
- operable
- vigorous
- practical
- useful
- energetic
- assiduous
- usable
- feasible
- sedulous
- viable
- useable
2
as in lazy
not easily aroused to action or work an idle employee who always seems to be either on break or at lunch Synonyms & Similar Words
- lazy
- indolent
- sleepy
- slothful
- shiftless
- quiescent
- dull
- listless
- sluggish
- inert
- torpid
- lethargic
- drowsy
- languorous
- apathetic
- supine
- lazyish
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- industrious
- active
- zealous
- diligent
- ambitious
- enterprising
- spirited
- dynamic
- lively
- vigorous
- brisk
- energetic
- bouncing
- exuberant
- animated
- sprightly
- frisky
- vivacious
- perky
- pert
- jaunty
- snappy
- springy
- peppy
- jazzy
- zippy
idle
2 of 2verb
as in to lazy
to spend time doing nothing she likes to idle during the summer and recharge herself for the fall semester we idled away the evening relaxing around the campfire Synonyms & Similar Words
- lazy
- rest
- chill
- bum
- laze
- dawdle
- lounge
- play
- stroll
- kill time
- relax
- loll
- muck
- dillydally
- drone
- kick back
- veg out
- hang about
- poke
- loaf
- loiter
- linger
- footle
- dally
- mess
- twiddle one's thumbs
- lag
- goof (off)
- fool
- hibernate
- trifle
- doze
- hack (around)
- kick around
- monkey
- piddle
- estivate
- hang (around or out)
- amble
- truant
- saunter
- tarry
- aestivate
- mosey
- malinger
- swan
- goldbrick
- furlough
- fiddle (around)
- potter (around)
- putter (around)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- slave
- work
- toil
- labor
- plow
- grind
- plug
- hustle
- sweat
- grub
- peg
- plod
- buckle (down)
- drudge
- hump
- apply
- moil
- exert
- travail
- put out
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of idle are inactive, inert, passive, and supine. While all these words mean "not engaged in work or activity," idle applies to persons that are not busy or occupied or to their powers or their implements.
workers were idle in the fields
The meanings of inactive and idle largely overlap; however, inactive applies to anyone or anything not in action or in operation or at work.
on inactive status as an astronaut
inactive accounts
The words inert and idle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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
The words passive and idle can be used in similar contexts, but 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
While in some cases nearly identical to idle, supine applies only to persons and commonly implies abjectness or indolence.
a supine willingness to play the fool