# loaf about

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/loaf-about
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to spend time doing nothing or being lazy instead of working. You use this when someone is just hanging around without a purpose.

For teachers: to spend time in an idle or aimless manner. This intransitive phrasal verb often carries a connotation of disapproval regarding the subject's lack of productivity.

## Examples

- Stop loafing about and help me clean the kitchen.
- During the summer holidays, the teenagers spent most of their afternoons loafing about in the local park.
- Rather than pursuing his studies with any vigor, he spent the better part of the semester loafing about the common room, much to his tutor's chagrin.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He spent the day loafing about his chores." but "He spent the day loafing about instead of doing his chores." — The phrase cannot take the task being avoided as a direct object.

## Usage notes

- This phrase is informal and usually suggests that the person should be doing something more productive.
- Teaching tip: Contrast with 'relax' (positive) or 'loiter' (often implies suspicious or illegal hanging around); 'loaf about' is specifically about laziness.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.