Idle Definition
īdl
idled, idler, idles, idlest, idling
adjective
idler, idlest
Vain; futile; pointless.
An idle wish.
Webster's New World
Unemployed; not busy.
Webster's New World
Baseless; unfounded.
Idle rumors.
Webster's New World
Having no value, use, or significance; worthless; useless.
Idle talk.
Webster's New World
Not scheduled to play a game.
Both teams played today but will be idle tomorrow.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
verb
idled, idles, idling
To pass time without being engaged in purposeful activity.
American Heritage
To waste; squander.
To idle away one's youth.
Webster's New World
To move slowly or aimlessly; loaf.
Webster's New World
To spend time unprofitably; be unemployed or inactive.
Webster's New World
To operate without transmitting power.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
noun
The state or act of idling.
An engine at idle.
Webster's New World
A mechanism for regulating the speed at which an engine runs at rest.
Set the idle higher to keep the motor from stalling.
American Heritage
Origin of Idle
-
Old English īdel, from West Germanic *īdla-. Cognate with Dutch ijdel (“vain”), German eitel (“bare, worthless”).
From Wiktionary
Middle English idel from Old English īdel
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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