not working or active; unemployed; doing nothing

idle workers.

not spent or filled with activity

idle hours.

not in use or operation; not kept busy

idle machinery.

habitually doing nothing or avoiding work; lazy.

of no real worth, importance, or significance

idle talk.

having no basis or reason; baseless; groundless

idle fears.

frivolous; vain

idle pleasures.

meaningless; senseless

idle threats.

futile; unavailing

idle rage.

to pass time doing nothing.

to move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly

to idle along the avenue.

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

to pass (time) doing nothing (often fol. by away )

to idle away the afternoon.

to cause (a person) to be idle

The strike idled many workers.

to cause (a machine, engine, or mechanism) to idle

I waited in the car while idling the engine.

the state or quality of being idle.

the state of a machine, engine, or mechanism that is idling

a cold engine that stalls at idle.

adjective

active , busy , employed , productive , used , working , ambitious , diligent , hustling , effective , important , worthwhile

adjective

abandoned , asleep , barren , closed down , dead , deserted , down , dusty , empty , gathering dust , inactive , inert , jobless , laid-off , leisured , mothballed , motionless , on the bench , on the shelf , out of operation , out of work * , passive , quiet , redundant , resting , rusty , sleepy , stationary , still , uncultivated , unemployed , unoccupied , untouched , unused , vacant , void , waste , worklessnotes:idle means not in action or at work; idyll means a simple descriptive work , either in poetry or prose , dealing with simple , rustic life - or a lighthearted carefree episode or experience; idyllic means excellent and delightful in all respects , at rest , indolent , lackadaisical , shiftless , slothful , sluggish , taking it easynotes:idle means not in action or at work; idyll means a simple descriptive work , abortive , bootless , frivolous , fruitless , futile , groundless , hollow , insignificant , irrelevant , not serious , nugatory , of no avail , otiose , pointless , rambling , superficial , trivial , unavailing , unhelpful , unnecessary , unproductive , unsuccessful , useless , vainnotes:idle means not in action or at work; idyll means a simple descriptive work , inoperative , fainant , sluggard , vain , bottomless , unfounded , unwarranted , aimless , baseless , dally , dawdle , dormant , faineant , fallow , ineffectual , laze , lazy , leisure , loaf , loiter , relax , superfluous , trifling , vacuous , worthless

verb

bum , laze , loaf , loiter , lounge , shirk , dawdle , fiddle away , kill , trifle away , waste , while , wile , immobilize , stop , tie up