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idler Definition

idler (īdlər, īd'l ər)

noun

  1. a person who wastes time and does no work; lazy person
  2. a gear placed between two others to transfer motion from one to the other without changing their direction or speed
  3. a pulley riding loosely on a shaft, pressing against a belt to guide it or take up the slack

idler Synonyms

idler

n.

lounger, slacker, drone, couch potato*; see loafer.

idler Usage Examples

Possessives

  • work: Another characteristic of the idler's work is that it looks suspiciously like play.

Converse of object

  • become: And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.
  • go: And meantime there goes the idler, who began life along with them - by your leave, a different picture.

Adjective modifier

  • other: I lounged up the side aisle like any other idler who has dropped into a church.

Modifies a noun

  • pulley: This wire is passed over any number of small idler pulleys to the surface being cut.
  • wheel: They always benefit from some basic maintenance, which will include a new idler wheel.
  • gear: The shaft on which the kickstart idler gear spins also functions as a crankcase breather.

Noun used with modifier

  • steering: I was told its steering idler fell off but whether that is true or not who knows.

Browse dictionary entries near idler

  1. idleness
  2. idle
  3. idiotism
  4. idiotic
  5. idiot savant
  6. idiot light
  7. idiot box
  8. idiot
  9. idiosyncratic
  10. idiosyncrasy
  1. idlesse
  2. idling
  3. Ido
  4. idocrase
  5. idol
  6. idolater
  7. idolatrize
  8. idolatrous
  9. idolatry
  10. idolism