idle

not in use; unemployed; inactive: The lifeguard was idle during the winter months.
Not to be confused with:idol – object of worship; a person blindly adored: The rock star was an idol to many teenagers.idyll – narrative poem; carefree experience: Their affair was simply a romantic idyll.

i·dle

I0023200 (īd′l)adj. i·dler, i·dlest 1. a. Not employed or busy: idle carpenters. See Synonyms at inactive.b. Disinclined to work or be active; lazy: "a man who could seem idle, ignorant, even incompetent, yet was able to understand and to express ... the instincts, good and bad, of the American majority" (Godfrey Hodgson).c. Not in use or operation: idle hands; idle mills.d. Sports Not scheduled to play a game: Both teams played today but will be idle tomorrow.2. Being a period of time in which there is little or no activity: passed idle hours watching TV.3. Lacking substance, value, or basis: idle speculation; idle threats. See Synonyms at baseless, vain.v. i·dled, i·dling, i·dles v.intr.1. To pass time without being engaged in purposeful activity: "The girls idled all day long, sending their tinkling laughter flowing up and down the street" (Alai).2. To move slowly or without purpose: "I drove past the workshop ... I idled along the driveway past the pole fence ... to Tyhee Road" (Tom Spanbauer).3. To run at a slow speed or out of gear. Used of a motor or motor vehicle.v.tr.1. To pass (time) without doing anything: idle the afternoon away.2. To make or cause to be unemployed or inactive: layoffs that idled 1,000 factory workers; a plant that was idled by a strike.3. To cause (a motor, for example) to idle.n.1. A state of idling. Used of a motor vehicle: an engine running quietly at idle.2. A mechanism for regulating the speed at which an engine runs at rest: set the idle higher to keep the motor from stalling.

[Middle English idel, from Old English īdel.]

i′dle·ness n.i′dler (īd′lər) n.i′dly adv.

idle

(ˈaɪdəl) adj1. unemployed or unoccupied; inactive2. not operating or being used3. (Banking & Finance) (of money) not being used to earn interest or dividends4. not wanting to work; lazy5. (usually prenominal) frivolous or trivial: idle pleasures. 6. ineffective or powerless; fruitless; vain7. without basis; unfoundedvb8. (when: tr, often foll by away) to waste or pass (time) fruitlessly or inactively: he idled the hours away. 9. (intr) to loiter or move aimlessly10. (Mechanical Engineering) (intr) (of a shaft, engine, etc) to turn without doing useful work11. (Automotive Engineering) (intr) (of an engine) to run at low speed with the transmission disengaged. Also (Brit): tick over 12. (tr) US and Canadian to cause to be inactive or unemployed[Old English īdel; compare Old High German ītal empty, vain] ˈidleness n ˈidly adv

i•dle

(ˈaɪd l)

adj. i•dler, i•dlest, adj. 1. not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing. 2. not filled with activity: idle hours. 3. not in use or operation: idle machinery. 4. habitually doing nothing or avoiding work; lazy. 5. of no real worth, importance, or purpose: idle talk. 6. having no basis or reason; baseless; groundless: idle fears. 7. frivolous; vain: idle pleasures. 8. meaningless; senseless: idle threats. v.i. 9. to pass time doing nothing. 10. to move or loiter aimlessly. 11. (of a machine, engine, or mechanism) to operate at a low speed, disengaged from the load. v.t. 12. to pass (time) doing nothing (often fol. by away): to idle away the afternoon. 13. to cause to be idle: The strike idled many workers. 14. to cause (a machine, engine, or mechanism) to idle. n. 15. the state or quality of being idle. 16. the state of a machine, engine, or mechanism that is idling: an engine at idle. [before 900; Middle English, Old English īdel empty, trifling, useless, c. Old Frisian īdel, Old Saxon īdal, Old High German ītal] i′dle•ness, n. i′dler, n. i′dly, adv. syn: idle, indolent, lazy, slothful apply to a person who is not active. idle means to be inactive or not working at a job; it is not necessarily derogatory: pleasantly idle on a vacation. indolent means naturally disposed to avoid exertion: an indolent and contented fisherman. lazy means averse to exertion or work, and esp. to continued application; the word is usu. derogatory: too lazy to earn a living. slothful denotes a reprehensible unwillingness to do one's share; it describes a person who is slow-moving and lacking in energy: The heat made the workers slothful. See also loiter.

idle

Past participle: idled
Gerund: idling

Imperative
idle
idle

Present
I idle
you idle
he/she/it idles
we idle
you idle
they idle

Preterite
I idled
you idled
he/she/it idled
we idled
you idled
they idled

Present Continuous
I am idling
you are idling
he/she/it is idling
we are idling
you are idling
they are idling

Present Perfect
I have idled
you have idled
he/she/it has idled
we have idled
you have idled
they have idled

Past Continuous
I was idling
you were idling
he/she/it was idling
we were idling
you were idling
they were idling

Past Perfect
I had idled
you had idled
he/she/it had idled
we had idled
you had idled
they had idled

Future
I will idle
you will idle
he/she/it will idle
we will idle
you will idle
they will idle

Future Perfect
I will have idled
you will have idled
he/she/it will have idled
we will have idled
you will have idled
they will have idled

Future Continuous
I will be idling
you will be idling
he/she/it will be idling
we will be idling
you will be idling
they will be idling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been idling
you have been idling
he/she/it has been idling
we have been idling
you have been idling
they have been idling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been idling
you will have been idling
he/she/it will have been idling
we will have been idling
you will have been idling
they will have been idling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been idling
you had been idling
he/she/it had been idling
we had been idling
you had been idling
they had been idling

Conditional
I would idle
you would idle
he/she/it would idle
we would idle
you would idle
they would idle

Past Conditional
I would have idled
you would have idled
he/she/it would have idled
we would have idled
you would have idled
they would have idled

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	idle - the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling; "the car engine was running at idle"operation - the state of being in effect or being operative; "that rule is no longer in operation"
Verb	1.	idle - run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling"tick overrun - be operating, running or functioning; "The car is still running--turn it off!"
	2.	idle - be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning"laze, slug, stagnatemoon around, moon on, moon - be idle in a listless or dreamy wayride the bench, warm the bench - be out of the game; "Miller was riding the bench in Saturday's game"moon, daydream - have dreamlike musings or fantasies while awake; "She looked out the window, daydreaming"bum about, bum around, frig around, fuck off, loaf, loll around, lounge about, lounge around, waste one's time, arse about, arse around, bum, loll - be lazy or idle; "Her son is just bumming around all day"lie about, lie around - hang around idly; "She did all the work while he lay around"work - exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"
Adj.	1.	idle - not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind"ineffective, ineffectual, uneffective - not producing an intended effect; "an ineffective teacher"; "ineffective legislation"unemployed - not engaged in a gainful occupation; "unemployed workers marched on the capital"busy - actively or fully engaged or occupied; "busy with her work"; "a busy man"; "too busy to eat lunch"
	2.	idle - without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy"baseless, groundless, unfounded, unwarranted, wildunsupported - not sustained or maintained by nonmaterial aid; "unsupported accusations"
	3.	idle - not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands"unusedinactive - lacking activity; lying idle or unused; "an inactive mine"; "inactive accounts"; "inactive machinery"
	4.	idle - silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light idle chatter"lightfrivolous - not serious in content or attitude or behavior; "a frivolous novel"; "a frivolous remark"; "a frivolous young woman"
	5.	idle - lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue"looseirresponsible - showing lack of care for consequences; "behaved like an irresponsible idiot"; "hasty and irresponsible action"
	6.	idle - not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds"deadunprofitable - producing little or no profit or gain; "deposits abandoned by mining companies as unprofitable"
	7.	idle - not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients"; "many people in the area were out of work"jobless, out of workunemployed - not engaged in a gainful occupation; "unemployed workers marched on the capital"

idle

adjective1. unoccupied, unemployed, redundant, jobless, out of work, out of action, inactive, at leisure, between jobs, unwaged, at a loose end Employees have been idle for almost a month now.
unoccupied working, employed, active, busy, occupied, energetic, industrious2. unused, stationary, inactive, out of order, ticking over, gathering dust, mothballed, out of service, out of action or operation Now the machine is lying idle.3. lazy, slow, slack, sluggish, lax, negligent, inactive, inert, lethargic, indolent, lackadaisical, good-for-nothing, remiss, workshy, slothful, shiftless I've never met such an idle bunch of workers!
lazy working, employed, active, busy, occupied, operative, functional4. useless, vain, pointless, hopeless, unsuccessful, ineffective, worthless, futile, fruitless, unproductive, abortive, ineffectual, groundless, of no use, valueless, disadvantageous, unavailing, otiose, of no avail, profitless, bootless It would be idle to pretend the system is worthless.
useless effective, useful, profitable, worthwhile, fruitful, advantageous5. trivial, superficial, insignificant, frivolous, silly, unnecessary, irrelevant, foolish, unhelpful, flippant, puerile, flighty, ill-considered, empty-headed, nugatory He kept up the idle chatter for another five minutes.
trivial important, meaningful6. empty, useless, hollow, vain, trivial, pointless, worthless, trifling, insignificant, senseless, inconsequential, aimless, insubstantial, valueless, purposeless It was more of an idle threat than anything.verb1. (often with away) fritter, while, waste, fool, lounge, potter, loaf, dally, loiter, dawdle, laze He idled the time away in dreamy thought.2. do nothing, slack, hang out (informal), languish, take it easy, shirk, stagnate, mark time, kill time, skive (Brit. slang), vegetate, sit back and do nothing, veg out (slang), kick your heels, bludge (Austral. & N.Z. informal) We spent many hours idling in cafes.3. drift, wander, meander, coast, float, stray, go aimlessly They idled along looking at things.4. tick over, in neutral Her limo waited with its engine idling.Quotations
"As idle as a painted ship"
"Upon a painted ocean" [Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Ancient Mariner]
"It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do" [Jerome K. Jerome Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow]
"Satan finds some mischief still"
"For idle hands to do" [Isaac Watts Divine Songs for Children]
"We would all be idle if we could" [Samuel Johnson]
"It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all" [James Thurber Fables For Our Time]

idle

adjective1. Marked by a lack of action or activity:inactive, inert, inoperative.2. Resistant to exertion and activity:fainéant, indolent, lazy, shiftless, slothful, sluggard, sluggish.Informal: do-nothing.Idiom: bone lazy.3. Not occupied or put to use:inactive, unemployed, unused, vacant.4. Lacking value, use, or substance:empty, hollow, otiose, vacant, vain.5. Having no basis or foundation in fact:baseless, bottomless, groundless, unfounded, unwarranted.verb1. To pass time without working or in avoiding work:bum (around), laze, loaf, loiter, lounge, shirk.Slang: diddle, goldbrick, goof (off).2. To pass (time) without working or in avoiding work.Also used with away:dawdle (away), fiddle away, kill, trifle away, waste, while (away), wile (away).3. To cause to cease regular activity:immobilize, stop, tie up.Idiom: bring to a screeching halt.

Translations

懒惰的懒散的无所事事无效的无根据的

idle

(ˈaidl) adjective1. not working; not in use. ships lying idle in the harbour.闲着的2. lazy. He has work to do, but he's idle and just sits around.懒散的3. having no effect or result. idle threats.无效的4. unnecessary; without good reason or foundation. idle fears; idle gossip.无根据的 verb1. to be idle or do nothing. On holiday they just idled from morning till night.无所事事2. of an engine etc, to run gently without doing any work. They kept the car engine idling while they checked their position with the map. （发动机等）空转 ˈidler noun a lazy person. 懒汉，无所事事的人 ˈidleness noun游手好闲ˈidly adverb懒散地idle away to spend (time) doing nothing. idling the hours away.虚度

idle

→ 懒惰的zhCN

idle

bone-idle

Extremely lazy. Can you please get Billy to go to the playground or something? He's just laying around all day, being bone-idle.

idle hands are the devil's playthings

When one has nothing to do, one is more likely to get into trouble. When I'm off from school, my grandmother is always trying to get me out of the house, while reminding me that idle hands are the devil's playthings.See also: hand, idle

idle hands are the devil's tools

idle hands are the devil's workshop

be bone idle

To be extremely lazy. Can you please get Billy to go to the playground or something? He's been bone idle, just laying around all day.See also: bone, idle

the devil finds work for idle hands

When one is unoccupied, one is more likely to get into trouble. When I'm off from school, my grandmother is always trying to get me out of the house, while reminding me that the devil finds work for idle hands.See also: devil, find, hand, idle, work

the devil finds work for idle hands to do

the devil makes work for idle hands

When one has nothing to do, one is more likely to get into trouble. When I'm off from school, my grandmother is always trying to get me out of the house, while reminding me that the devil makes work for idle hands.See also: devil, hand, idle, make, work

idle away

To waste an interval of time in laziness or inactivity. A noun or pronoun can be used between "idle" and "away." Don't idle the whole day away, or else you'll be up all night finishing your science project. I idled away a few hours and then got back to my research.See also: away, idle

idle about

To be lazy. Can you please get Billy to go to the playground or something? He's just been idling about all day.See also: idle

an idle brain is the devil's workshop

When one has nothing to do, one is more likely to get into trouble. When I'm off from school, my grandmother is always trying to get me out of the house, while reminding me that an idle brain is the devil's workshop.See also: brain, idle, workshop

idle people have the least leisure

People who are slow to finish their work ultimately have less free time. Idle people have the least leisure, you know. So if you would just write your paper instead of procrastinating, you'd have some time to really relax.See also: have, idle, least, leisure, people

idle folk have the least leisure

People who are slow to finish their work ultimately have less free time. Idle folk have the least leisure, you know. So if you would just write your paper instead of procrastinating, you'd have some time to really relax.See also: folk, have, idle, least, leisure

devil finds work for idle hands to do

Prov. If you do not have useful work to do, you will be tempted to do frivolous or harmful things to get rid of your boredom. Knowing that the devil finds work for idle hands to do, Elizabeth always made sure that her children had plenty of chores to keep them occupied.See also: devil, find, hand, idle, work

idle about

to loiter around, doing nothing. Please don't idle about. Get busy! Andy is idling about today.See also: idle

idle brain is the devil's workshop

Prov. People who have nothing worthwhile to think about will usually think of something bad to do. We need to figure out something constructive for Tom to do in the afternoons after school. An idle brain is the devil's workshop.See also: brain, idle, workshop

Idle people have the least leisure.

and Idle folk have the least leisure.Prov. If you are not energetic and hardworking, you will never have any free time, since you will have to spend all your time finishing your work. My grandmother always told me not to dawdle, since idle people have the least leisure.See also: have, idle, least, leisure, people

idle something away

Fig. to waste one's time in idleness; to waste a period of time, such as an afternoon, evening, one's life. She idled the afternoon away and then went to a party. Don't idle away the afternoon.See also: away, idle

ˌbone ˈidle

(British English, informal) (of a person) very lazy: The family consists of Vera, her intensely irritating husband and her two bone idle sons.See also: bone, idle

the devil makes work for idle ˈhands

(saying) people who do not have enough to do often start to do wrong: She blamed the crimes on the local jobless teenagers. ‘The devil makes work for idle hands,’ she would say.See also: devil, hand, idle, make, work

idle away

v. To spend some period of time not working or avoiding work: I idled the day away. The children idled away the summer.See also: away, idle

idle

idle

i·dle

idle

i•dle

idle

idle

idle

idle

idle

idle

bone-idle

idle hands are the devil's playthings

idle hands are the devil's tools

idle hands are the devil's workshop

be bone idle

the devil finds work for idle hands

the devil finds work for idle hands to do

the devil makes work for idle hands

idle away

idle about

an idle brain is the devil's workshop

idle people have the least leisure

idle folk have the least leisure

devil finds work for idle hands to do

idle about

idle brain is the devil's workshop

Idle people have the least leisure.

idle something away

ˌbone ˈidle

the devil makes work for idle ˈhands

idle away

idle

idle

idle

Idle

Idle

IDLE

idle

Synonyms for idle

adj unoccupied

Synonyms

Antonyms

adj unused

Synonyms

adj lazy

Synonyms

Antonyms

adj useless

Synonyms

Antonyms

adj trivial

Synonyms

Antonyms

adj empty

Synonyms

verb fritter

Synonyms

verb do nothing

Synonyms

verb drift

Synonyms

verb tick over

Synonyms

Synonyms for idle

adj marked by a lack of action or activity

Synonyms

adj resistant to exertion and activity

Synonyms

adj not occupied or put to use

Synonyms

adj lacking value, use, or substance

Synonyms

adj having no basis or foundation in fact

Synonyms

verb to pass time without working or in avoiding work

Synonyms

verb to pass (time) without working or in avoiding work

Synonyms

verb to cause to cease regular activity