Idle definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

inert, inoperative, indolent, shiftless, slothful, sluggard, sluggish, inactive, unemployed, unused, vacant, hollow

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Idle - 7 dictionary results

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i⋅dle

[ahyd-l]

adjective, i⋅dler, i⋅dlest, verb i⋅dled, i⋅dling, noun

–adjective

1.	not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing: idle workers.

2.	not spent or filled with activity: idle hours.

3.	not in use or operation; not kept busy: idle machinery.

4.	habitually doing nothing or avoiding work; lazy.

5.	of no real worth, importance, or significance: idle talk.

6.	having no basis or reason; baseless; groundless: idle fears.

7.	frivolous; vain: idle pleasures.

8.	meaningless; senseless: idle threats.

9.	futile; unavailing: idle rage.

–verb (used without object)

10.	to pass time doing nothing.

11.	to move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly: to idle along the avenue.

12.	(of a machine, engine, or mechanism) to operate at a low speed, disengaged from the load.

–verb (used with object)

13.	to pass (time) doing nothing (often fol. by away): to idle away the afternoon.

14.	to cause (a person) to be idle: The strike idled many workers.

15.	to cause (a machine, engine, or mechanism) to idle: I waited in the car while idling the engine.

–noun

16.	the state or quality of being idle.

17.	the state of a machine, engine, or mechanism that is idling: a cold engine that stalls at idle.

Origin:
bef. 900; 1915–20 for def. 12; ME, OE īdel (adj.) empty, trifling, vain, useless; c. G eitel

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : Idle

Spanish:

parado, inactivo,

German:

unnütz,

Japanese:

使われていない

View 30 other languages »

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i·dle (īd'l) Pronunciation Key
adj. i·dler, i·dlest

1. Not employed or busy: idle carpenters. See Synonyms at inactive.
2. Avoiding work or employment; lazy: shiftless, idle youth. See Synonyms at lazy.
3. Not in use or operation: idle hands.
Lacking substance, value, or basis. See Synonyms at baseless, vain.

v. i·dled, i·dling, i·dles

v. intr.

To pass time without working or while avoiding work.
To move lazily and without purpose.
To run at a slow speed or out of gear. Used of a motor vehicle.

v. tr.

To pass (time) without working or while avoiding work; waste: idle the afternoon away.
To make or cause to be unemployed or inactive.
To cause (a motor, for example) to idle.

A state of idling. Used of a motor vehicle: an engine running quietly at idle.
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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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idle

O.E. idel "empty, void, useless," common W.Gmc. (cf. O.S. idal, O.Fris. idel "empty, worthless," O.Du. idil, Ger. eitel "vain, useless, mere, pure"), of unknown origin. Idle threats preserves original sense; meaning "lazy" is c.1300. The verb sense of "running slowly and steadily without transmitting power" (as a motor) first recorded 1916.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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idle
adjective
1.	not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind" [ant: busy]
2.	without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy" [syn: baseless]
3.	not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands"
4.	silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light idle chatter"
5.	lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue"
6.	not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds" [syn: dead]
7.	not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients"; "many people in the area were out of work"
noun
1.	the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling; "the car engine was running at idle"
verb
1.	run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling" [ant: run]
2.	be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning" [ant: work]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Idle

I"dle\, a. [Compar. Idler; superl. Idlest.] [OE. idel, AS. [=i]del vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. [=i]dal, D. ijdel, OHG. [=i]tal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw. idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. ? clear, pure, ? to burn. Cf. Ether.]

1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren. "Deserts idle." --Shak.

Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. --Matt. xii. 36.

Down their idle weapons dropped. --Milton.

This idle story became important. --Macaulay.

2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours.

The idle spear and shield were high uphing. --Milton.

3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen.

Why stand ye here all the day idle? --Matt. xx. 6.

4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow.

5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] --Ford.

Idle pulley (Mach.), a pulley that rests upon a belt to tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not used to transmit power.

Idle wheel (Mach.), a gear wheel placed between two others, to transfer motion from one to the other without changing the direction of revolution.

In idle, in vain. [Obs.] "God saith, thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in idle." --Chaucer.

Syn: Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent; sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile; frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant.

Usage: Idle, Indolent, Lazy. A propensity to inaction is expressed by each of these words; they differ in the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of movement or effort; idle is opposed to busy, and denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent.

Idle

I"dle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Idled; p. pr. & vb. n. Idling.] To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business. --Shak.

Idle

I"dle\, v. t. To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.