1
: not working, active, or being used
idle workers [=workers who do not have jobs]
The company's competitors have not been idle [=they have been active/busy] in recent months.
The factory has been lying/sitting/standing idle [=has not been used] for the past year.
the idle rich [=rich people who do not have to work]
2
: not having any real purpose or value
idle rumors/gossip
There has been a lot of idle speculation about what might happen, but no one really knows.
(formal) It is idle [=useless, pointless] to want what you cannot have.
She said she would leave him, but he knew it was an idle threat. [=he knew that she did not mean it]
3
: not having much activity
the idle days of summer
4
somewhat old-fashioned
: trying to avoid work : lazy
a careless and idle worker
There was a group of idle boys standing on the corner.
idles; idled; idling
1
of an engine or vehicle
: to run without being connected for doing useful work
She left the engine idling for a few seconds before she turned it off.
The cars idled in traffic.
idle an engine
2
: to spend time doing nothing or nothing useful
A group of boys idled in the doorway.
—+ awayWe idled away the evening playing cards.
3
US
: to cause (someone or something) to stop working : to make (someone or something) idle
The factory closed, idling several hundred workers.
Thousands of workers have been idled by the bad economy.
The factory has been idled by the strike.
Cite this Entry
“Idle.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/idle. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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