idles

Definition of idlesnext
present tense third-person singular of idle

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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idles
Verb
  • 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
Verb
  • The belief that the Maduro episode could be replicated in Iran also rests on a misleading comparison.
    Sanam Vakil, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
  • But according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the post-raid landscape, that assumption rests on dangerously fragile ground.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Every schedule crescendos and relaxes in terms of travel difficulty, but the Broncos have been on a particularly brutal run recently.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
  • That first episode suffers from the need to do so much heavy lifting and feels both overstuffed and overly conventional, but once all the pieces are in place, the show relaxes into itself and its actual voice emerges.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Warm days are made for outdoor lunches and park strolls through El Retiro or Casa de Campo, while evenings stretch into tapas crawls and impromptu street performances in La Latina.
    Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
  • From pit lane strolls to VIP rooftop views, stars showed up and showed out at one of the biggest sports weekends of the year.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 24 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • As Cuenca plays a ball to the feet of his striker, Wilson dashes in the other direction, delaying Ibrahima Konate’s forward jump because the centre-back knows Bradley is unable to track both him and Robinson at the same time.
    Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
  • In the dark romantic comedy-drama, True Blood alum Skarsgård, 49, plays tough biker Ray, who enters into a dominant-submissive relationship with Colin (Melling), a shy and directionless man who sings in a barbershop quartet.
    Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Winds chills in the mountains could hit 0 to minus 10 degrees, the NWS says.
    Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 12 Dec. 2025
  • When that happens, Arctic air chills temperatures in other regions.
    Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • The cranky and irritating backseat driver, who bums a lift midway through the Griswolds' adventure, also has with her the easily excitable pooch Dinky.
    Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Light snow lingers into the evening.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
  • But beverages that contain THC don’t hit like alcohol, instead causing a sensation that’s more like a slow exhale that lingers just long enough to make the room feel softer, the music warmer and your friends a little funnier.
    Timothy DePeugh, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Idles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idles. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

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