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
  • The key to its longevity rests in the show’s unpredictable ability to evolve.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
  • This approach rests on four key factors.
    Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Advertisement The ruling also relaxes limits on a number of other pollutants released by burning coal, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and nickel.
    Simmone Shah, Time, 20 Feb. 2026
  • House Bill 267 relaxes funding restrictions to the State Housing Initiatives Program, known as SHIP, which provides local governments with money to promote housing affordability for residents.
    Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The happy couple strolls around town to do normal couple activities (such as a romantic dinner date or appearing on the Kiss Cam at a sporting event), before Pringle Man is destroyed by rabid fans.
    Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
  • From sunset yoga and a world-class spa to leisurely strolls under the live oaks and days spent by the pool, activities at the 20,000-acre resort are numerous—and relaxing.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Because all 12 vertebrae of your thoracic spine (middle segment) connect to your rib cage, rib mobility plays a central role in how your spine moves and how forces are managed through your back.
    Dana Santas, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Besides being crucial for winter sports events, snow plays many other important roles, said David Robinson, New Jersey State Climatologist and a distinguished professor in the Rutgers University geography department.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • When enforcement activity impedes the rights to assemble, document and criticize government action, that chills those rights, and the consequences extend beyond any single demonstration.
    Yohuru Williams, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Apartments in the capital are freezing, and when venturing outside people wear heavy layers of clothes against the bitter cold that chills to the bone.
    Vasilisa Stepanenko, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 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
  • Veloso’s imagery is one that lingers long after the film credits have rolled.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
  • What lingers is that image of Powell in the beanie.
    Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Idles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idles. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

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