Word
idle
US/ˈaɪdəɫ/
UK/ˈaɪdəl/
Definitions
01not in use
adj. not being used or not working at the moment.
adj. not in active use or operation; describing resources or machinery that are currently functional but unoccupied.
“The machines in the factory stood idle during the long holiday weekend.”
“The company struggled with the high costs of maintaining idle equipment while waiting for the new contracts to be signed.”
02lazy
adj. lazy or not willing to work.
adj. habitually avoiding work or exertion; lazy or slothful in character.
“He was an idle student who preferred playing games to doing his homework.”
“The manager warned that idle employees would not be considered for the year-end performance bonuses.”
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03useless or silly
adj. having no real purpose or value; silly.
adj. lacking substance, utility, or a serious basis; often used to describe talk, threats, or curiosity.
“She didn't want to waste time on idle gossip about her neighbours.”
“The diplomat dismissed the rumours as idle speculation, insisting that no formal agreement had been reached.”
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04engine running slowly
v. when an engine runs slowly while the vehicle or machine is not moving.
v. to run at a low speed or out of gear; describing an internal combustion engine ticking over without performing work.
“The taxi driver let the car idle while he waited for the passenger to come outside.”
“Modern vehicles are often designed to shut off automatically rather than idle at traffic lights to improve fuel efficiency.”
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05to waste time
v. to spend time doing nothing or being lazy.
v. to spend time in an inactive or lazy manner; often used with 'away' when transitive.
“They idled away the afternoon sitting by the river and talking.”
“He spent his inheritance idling away his youth in expensive resorts instead of pursuing a career.”
Literary
06engine state
n. the state of an engine when it is running but not moving.
n. the lowest power setting or speed at which an engine can run steadily.
“The mechanic adjusted the idle because the car kept stalling at red lights.”
“The pilot reduced the engines to idle as the aircraft began its final descent toward the runway.”
Technical
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Real-World Examples
“Pay for idle time between orders is a major industry flashpoint.” “Rather, they were aimed at the easier target of idling vehicles – those whose engines are running for no real reason except that someone didn’t bother to turn them off.” Etymology
From Middle English idel, ydel, from Old English īdel, from Proto-West Germanic īdal, from Proto-Germanic īdalaz. Cognate with Dutch ijdel (“vain, meaningless”), ijl (“rareified, skinny”), iel (“thin, slender”); German Low German iedel (“vain, idle”); German eitel (“vain, conceited”); and possibly Old Norse illr ("bad"; > English ill).
From Middle English idelen, from Old English īdlian, from Proto-West Germanic *īdalēn. Cognate with German eiteln (“to make empty, free up”).
From Middle English idel, ydel, from Old English īdel (“idleness”), from the adjective (see above).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/idle