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Idle - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'Idle' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Idle [ superl.]
- Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren.
- Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours.
- Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen.
- Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow.
- Light-headed; foolish.
2 . Idle [ v. i.]
- To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business.
3 . Idle [ v. t.]
- To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.

Meaning of 'Idle' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . idle [ n]
Meaning (1):
- the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling
Example in sentence:
  • the car engine was running at idle
2 . idle [ v]
Meaning (2):
- be idle; exist in a changeless situation
Example in sentence:
  • He slugged in bed all morning;
  • The old man sat and stagnated on his porch
Meaning (3):
- run disconnected or idle
Example in sentence:
  • the engine is idling
4 . idle [ a]
Meaning (4):
- not in action or at work
Example in sentence:
  • an idle laborer;
  • an idle mind;
  • idle drifters;
  • the idle rich
5 . idle [ s]
Meaning (5):
- lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
Example in sentence:
  • a loose tongue;
  • idle talk
Meaning (6):
- without a basis in reason or fact
Example in sentence:
  • baseless gossip;
  • idle fears;
  • the allegations proved groundless;
  • unfounded suspicions;
  • unwarranted jealousy
Meaning (7):
- not yielding a return
Example in sentence:
  • dead capital;
  • idle funds
Meaning (8):
- not having a job
Example in sentence:
  • idle carpenters;
  • jobless transients;
  • many people in the area were out of work
Meaning (9):
- not in active use
Example in sentence:
  • idle hands;
  • the machinery sat idle during the strike
Meaning (10):
- silly or trivial
Example in sentence:
  • idle pleasure;
  • light banter;
  • light idle chatter

Nearby Words:

idle-headed idle-pated idled idleness idler idless idlesse idling idly

See 'Idle' also in:

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Related Definitions

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  • Rough idle
    Rough idle means when the engine vibrates or shakes while running with the driver’s foot off the gas.
  • Fast idle
    Fast idle is an increased idle speed that typically occurs for a short time after a cold engine start to improve drivability and speed engine warm

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