i·dle
(īd́l)
[Middle English idel, from Old English īdel.]
adjective: i·dler, i·dlest.
- Not employed or busy: idle carpenters. See synonyms at inactive
- Avoiding work or employment; lazy: shiftless, idle youth. See synonyms at lazy
- Not in use or operation: idle hands.
- Lacking substance, value, or basis. See synonyms at baseless See synonyms at vain
verb: i·dled, i·dling, i·dles.
intransitive verb
- 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.
transitive verb
- 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.
noun
- 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.
derivatives
- ídle·ness
- noun
- ídler
- noun
- ídly
- adverb
