Sekirov Dictionary

idle

/ˈaɪd(ə)l/

adjective 6
verb 5
noun 4
forms 7
phrases 1

adjective6

•
Not being used appropriately; not occupied; (of time) with no, no important, or not much activity.
- My computer hibernates after it has been idle for 30 minutes.
Not engaged in any occupation or employment; unemployed; inactive; doing nothing in particular.
•
Of no importance; useless; worthless; vain; trifling; thoughtless; silly.
- idle threats
- idle pleasures
Averse to work, labor or employment; lazy; slothful.
(no longer used) Empty, vacant.
•
(no longer used) Light-headed; foolish.
- The youth is idle — 1628

verb5

•
To spend (time) in idleness; to waste; to consume.
- While idling the hours I trace verses / On the inside of wrappers embellishing cans Of Bordeaux mackerel, caught in Monterey. — 1920
•
Of an engine: to run at a slow speed, or out of gear; to tick over.
- When train heating is in operation the diesel engine is arranged to idle at 550 r.p.m. which is the minimum at which the generator will deliver its full rated output. — 1960
•
To cause (an engine) to idle (run at a slow speed, or out of gear).
- The driver idled his engine until the car finally stalled.
•
To lose or spend time doing nothing, or without being employed in business.
- He had already heard of the young man's projected journey — evidently the Comte de Combourg had written many letters while his son idled at St. Malo […] — 1939
•
To make (workers, students, etc) idle; to leave without work.
- [L]ayoffs idled 1,900 workers in Ohio and 1,000 in Indiana. At the same time, an Indiana assembly plant recalled 1,200 workers. — 1955

noun4

The state of idling, of being idle.
•
The lowest selectable thrust or power setting of an engine.
- A slight valve tap was audible at idle but was not noticeable otherwise.
An idle game.
An idle animation.

forms

idled · idling · idles · idleth · more idle · idlest · most idle

Phrases with idle

bone-idle
Utterly lazy.

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