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 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 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
  • Of course, all of this discussion rests on the belief that contractual prohibitions are the load-bearing factor for preventing an AI system from being used for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2026
  • His advice largely unheeded, state party Chairman Rusty Hicks on Thursday said the fate of a Democratic victory now rests squarely on the gubernatorial candidates who flouted him.
    Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Rising Star in Beverly Hills Gable relaxes on the veranda of his new Beverly Hills rental home in this 1931 photo, which accompanied an article in Screenland magazine.
    Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 24 Feb. 2026
  • In the clip, Megan relaxes on a hotel bed wearing a long, bombshell-blonde wig in the most divine blend of honeyed shades, styled in lush, loose waves by her hairstylist Kellon Deryck.
    Kara Nesvig, Allure, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Springtime strolls in these cities are simply unparalleled, thanks to their botanical splendor.
    Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Nowadays, on Sunday mornings on the trail, Talarico often attends a local church and strolls around happily, eying the pulpit like a home buyer trying a listing on for size.
    Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Stellan Skarsgård plays an aging filmmaker whose selfish past led to an estrangement from his daughters and who wants to make a movie inspired by their mom.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Myers’ maternal half-brother is Quentin Grimes, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers and spent part of the 2024-25 season with the Mavericks.
    Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas Morning News, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The lawsuit, whose defendants include the Department of Homeland Security, argues that federal officers' use of such munitions is a retaliation against protesters that chills their First Amendment rights.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Mar. 2026
  • The suit names the Department of Homeland Security and argues that officers’ use of chemical munitions amounts to retaliation that chills First Amendment rights.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Then Jason and Thor shower together, each lathering the other’s back and bums up with fewer orgasms than an old Herbal Essences commercial.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
  • 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
  • That image lingers, but modern legal systems operate with far greater cross-border coordination than in decades past.
    Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Tulum has always been a place of ceremony, exchange, and reverence for nature, and that inheritance still lingers in the air.
    Gina Góngora, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Idles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idles. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.

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