as in lounged
to spend time doing nothing
she likes to idle during the summer and recharge herself for the fall semester we idled away the evening relaxing around the campfire
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Recent Examples of idled
The show’s characters idled away their time watching programs like Years of Our Days to Live.
—
Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
In fact, Airbus was collecting orders and making deliveries while Boeing idled due to the bans and delays imposed by the CAAC.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 14 May 2026
Government number crunchers were temporarily idled in October, so were unable to collect housing prices that month.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 12 May 2026
The bus idled in a parking lot while the driver, Evan Prothero, and the choir director deliberated.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Three years earlier, Russian aluminum manufacturer Rusal had idled its Eurallumina factory nearby.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
On a cold, drizzly December day in 2022, Demonbreun-Chapman idled his boat on the Coosawattee River, a waterway that feeds into the Conasauga near Calhoun.
—Dylan Jackson, ABC News, 6 May 2026
Inside, shag-pile carpeting flowed lavishly across floors and walls, chandeliers sparkled like diamonds, and a legion of marble statues idled as if awaiting the reboot of the Roman Empire.
—Zoey Goto, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
Uneven job growth The Fed is also keeping an eye on the labor market, which has idled amid economic uncertainty, uneven payroll gains and the emergence of artificial intelligence.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
In fact, Airbus was collecting orders and making deliveries while Boeing idled due to the bans and delays imposed by the CAAC.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 14 May 2026
Government number crunchers were temporarily idled in October, so were unable to collect housing prices that month.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 12 May 2026
The bus idled in a parking lot while the driver, Evan Prothero, and the choir director deliberated.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Three years earlier, Russian aluminum manufacturer Rusal had idled its Eurallumina factory nearby.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
On a cold, drizzly December day in 2022, Demonbreun-Chapman idled his boat on the Coosawattee River, a waterway that feeds into the Conasauga near Calhoun.
—Dylan Jackson, ABC News, 6 May 2026
Inside, shag-pile carpeting flowed lavishly across floors and walls, chandeliers sparkled like diamonds, and a legion of marble statues idled as if awaiting the reboot of the Roman Empire.
—Zoey Goto, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
Uneven job growth The Fed is also keeping an eye on the labor market, which has idled amid economic uncertainty, uneven payroll gains and the emergence of artificial intelligence.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idled
Verb
-
In the first slide, Olive rested on Benson’s chest as the two lounged on a sofa on a sunny day, looking at the camera.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
-
Her figures lounged, stood, or in one instance danced in unadorned, nearly empty interiors composed with broad, feathery brushstrokes.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Liv announced, as Smith strolled onstage, a surprise that nobody saw coming.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
-
Along First Street, fashionable young couples and wealthy empty nesters strolled by sidewalk pergolas.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Flight attendants turned into drill sergeants, barking at passengers who flouted mask rules or dawdled too long eating that snack with the mask off.—
Thomas Black,
Twin Cities,
21 Dec. 2025
-
Fava snuffled and dawdled and took her own sweet time up the sidewalk.—
Dan Kois,
New Yorker,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The drinks are best served chilled, so be sure to load them up in your cooler before heading to the pool.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
-
Shake vigorously for up to 30 seconds, until the shaker is frosted on the outside and the drink is well chilled.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Further on, sandy-colored cows lazed in the mid-morning sun.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
With closing arguments looming on Tuesday, Karmelo Anthony's defense rested without calling him to testify — a move that came as legal analysts questioned whether his self-defense claim will persuade jurors.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
-
The research didn’t take a detailed look at the kind of resistance training people were doing or at questions such as how intense the training was or how long the participants rested between sets or movements.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Helicopters roar overhead, reminding me that last week people were worried the Oscars were going to get droned.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Temperatures rose above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, air conditioners droned, and power cuts followed.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The game was played in Texas but Knicks fans gathered at watch parties across the city to witness the team battle back in the fourth quarter to take the title.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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Although the championship-clinching game was played thousands of miles away, police maintained a large presence around Madison Square Garden, the Knicks' home arena.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idled. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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