Synonyms of loaf

loaf 1 of 2

verb

as in to bum

to spend time doing nothing

the kind of sultry August afternoon that makes you just want to loaf

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bum
• lazy
• rest
• lounge
• veg out
• kill time
• stroll
• kick back
• goof (off)
• chill
• hack (around)
• play
• hang about
• hang (around or out)
• poke
• idle
• drone
• laze
• relax
• dawdle
• loll
• muck
• footle
• trifle
• dillydally
• mess
• kick around
• twiddle one's thumbs
• monkey
• fiddle (around)
• piddle
• estivate
• linger
• potter (around)
• dally
• fool
• swan
• putter (around)
• saunter
• aestivate
• hibernate
• doze
• loiter
• amble
• tarry
• lag
• furlough
• mosey
• malinger
• truant
• goldbrick

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slave
• labor
• plow
• work
• plug
• toil
• sweat
• grind
• hustle
• buckle (down)
• grub
• plod
• peg
• apply
• hump
• travail
• drudge
• put out
• moil
• exert

loaf

2 of 2

noun

British slang

as in skull

Synonyms & Similar Words

• skull
• noodle
• gray matter
• intellect
• intelligence
• brain
• reason
• belfry
• thinker
• psyche
• cerebrum
• mind
• head
• perception
• insight
• judgement
• mentality
• judgment
• wit
• wisdom
• consciousness
• sagacity
• brilliance
• alertness
• acumen
• awareness
• perspicacity
• sapience
• cognizance
• astuteness
• self-consciousness
• self-awareness

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb loaf differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of loaf are idle, laze, loll, and lounge. While all these words mean "to spend time doing nothing," loaf suggests either resting or wandering about as though there were nothing to do.

she does her work and then loafs the rest of the day

When is idle a more appropriate choice than loaf?

The words idle and loaf can be used in similar contexts, but idle may be used in reference to persons that move lazily or without purpose.

idled the day away

Where would laze be a reasonable alternative to loaf?

Although the words laze and loaf have much in common, laze usually implies the relaxation of a busy person enjoying a vacation or moments of leisure.

lazed about between appointments

When can loll be used instead of loaf?

The words loll and loaf are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, loll also carries an implication of a posture similar to that of lounge, but places greater stress upon an indolent or relaxed attitude.

lolling on the couch

When could lounge be used to replace loaf?

The meanings of lounge and loaf largely overlap; however, lounge, though occasionally used as equal to idle or loaf, typically conveys an additional implication of resting or reclining against a support or of physical comfort and ease in relaxation.

he lounged against the wall

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of loaf

Verb

Matthes, an ecologist who works with Friends of the Koala, grew up naming the koalas that loafed around in her backyard. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 June 2024

Days here can start with a character breakfast and a five-minute motor coach ride to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot; or can just as easily be filled loafing around the resort’s own 18-hole golf course, spa, and five-acre water park with slides, a splash zone, lazy river, and an adults-only pool. —Nina Kokotas Hahn, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2023

Noun

The monitors — about the size of a television remote control and housed in a plastic cover the size of a bread loaf — were placed at air monitoring stations around the fires’ perimeters, as well as at other sites, including in West Los Angeles and Santa Clarita. —Katharine Gammon, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2025

Those thousands of loaves disappear quickly in the last hour of the day’s fast, and customers seeking specific flavors may walk away empty-handed. —Kiana Hayeri, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025