IDLES Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

idles

verb

present tense third-person singular of idle

as in lazes

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of idles As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025 Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes. — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025 The high-output Arco Zeus alternator cuts recharge time in half compared to earlier models and can charge the battery bank even while the Sprinter engine idles. — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 26 Nov. 2025 The film just idles on the runway. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025 As our car idles, Lucas Nascimento Morgado, a young biologist who works for a jaguar NGO called Onçafari here in the southern Brazilian Pantanal, grins giddily. — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for idles

Verb

But Koreeda dawdles over all that without ever finding much dramatic nuance, making for a dullish midsection.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
But while the new movie dawdles on its way to Toxie’s origins, then rushes toward a finale with a lurching rhythm that verges on calculated ineptitude, its spirit never feels inauthentic.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025

Definition of dawdles

Verb

The Dodgers’ clearest and cleanest route to a three-peat nonetheless rests upon the four shoulders of Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Baek’s fate in the end rests in the hands of his little brother, Baek Ki-hyeon.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of rests

Verb

The intimate spa offers a number of different treatments and beauty rituals, but the standout one is Oro di Amalfi, an exclusive massage with natural lemon oils that relaxes and stimulates the chakras.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
What causes snoring in the first place Most snoring comes down to what happens inside the airway once the body relaxes.

— Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of relaxes

Verb

Over the course of Next Gen NYC’s season, which ended this past week, the model Ava Dash grabs a slice of pizza on Fulton Street; strolls through the Seaport; and calls her father, the hip-hop mogul Damon Dash, from a bench at Pier 17.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 29 Sep. 2026
Pawlikowski, surveying the city, came across a graveyard that was adorned with old statues, worn by lichen and time; and that is where Erika strolls, seeking refuge, on a bright day.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of strolls

Verb

China currently plays a dominant role in the global tungsten supply chain, leaving the US facing a challenge that goes beyond finding new deposits.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
Brunson plays a rapper justifying paying everyone in his entourage to his accountant (Padilla).

— Rima Parikh, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of plays

Verb

With her severe bob and icy demeanor, Miranda chills her underlings to the bone.

— Jami Ganz, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2026
The use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials is controversial, with critics saying the practice chills creative expression and allows prosecutors to distort hyperbolic art in ways that reinforce racist stereotypes.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of chills

Verb

The joy Lisa has with her RHUGT cast compared with the dread her RHOSLC cast seems to bring her really bums me out — especially because of how much of this trip is championing the sisterhood of Housewives.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Critical thinking really bums them out.

— Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026

Definition of bums

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idles

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“Idles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idles. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of idles

verb

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