ido
B2Neutral, formal and informal
Definition
Meaning
Not working, active, or in use; avoiding work; lazy.
Lacking purpose or effect; baseless (e.g., idle threats, idle gossip).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Can describe machines/engines not in operation, people avoiding work, or thoughts/words that lack serious purpose.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Meaning is identical; minor spelling in derivatives (idle/idler/idlest vs. idle/idler/idlest).
Connotations
Similar negative connotation of laziness; 'idle hands' equally proverbial.
Frequency
Comparable frequency; slightly more common in UK automotive contexts (idle speed).
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[S] + idle (intransitive)[S] + idle + away + [O] (phrasal verb)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “idle hands are the devil's workshop”
- “bone idle”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to underutilised resources, capital, or workforce.
Academic
Used in economics (idle capacity), engineering (idle state).
Everyday
Describing laziness or unused items.
Technical
Engine idling; computer processor in idle state.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Don't let the engine idle for too long.
- He idled the afternoon away watching television.
American English
- I let the car idle while I ran inside.
- She idled away her summer at the beach.
adverb
British English
- (Rare as adverb; usually adjectival)
American English
- (Rare as adverb; usually adjectival)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The computer is idle. No one is using it.
- He is idle. He doesn't like to work.
- The workers were idle because the materials hadn't arrived.
- It's not good to leave your brain idle for too long.
- The threat to resign was seen as mere idle talk.
- We cannot afford to have expensive equipment lying idle.
- Her idle speculation about the company's future caused unnecessary anxiety.
- The investigation was triggered by an idle remark he made years earlier.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
IDLE sounds like 'I'd lie' – imagining someone saying 'I'd lie down instead of working'.
Conceptual Metaphor
INACTIVITY IS A RESTING STATE (machines); LAZINESS IS A LACK OF MOTION.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не путать с 'ideal' (идеальный). 'Idle' — бездействующий, ленивый, а не 'идеальный'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'idle' as a noun (incorrect: 'an idle'; correct: 'idleness').
- Confusing 'idle' with 'idol' (a worshipped object/person).
Practice
Quiz
Which use of 'idle' describes something without basis or purpose?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Mostly, but not always. 'Idle curiosity' is neutral, and technical uses like 'engine idle' are descriptive.
'Lazy' is a stronger, more personal critique of character. 'Idle' can be temporary and descriptive of a state rather than character.
Yes, meaning to spend time doing nothing ('idle away') or to run an engine slowly without moving ('let the car idle').
It's an informal, emphatic idiom meaning extremely lazy.