as in lounging
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of idling
Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 18 Nov. 2025
Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Wright said the Russian oil being sold to India had been expected to go to Chinese refineries but had been idling at sea.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
Supply bottlenecks have been exacerbated by recent refinery closures, including the Phillips 66 refinery in Wilmington in October and the idling and planned closure of the Valero refinery in Benicia, which reduced refining capacity in the state by close to 20%.
—Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Does idling your car really burn that much fuel?
—Ryley Amond, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026
Two planes sat idling on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport late Wednesday night, both of them waiting on disparate groups of Spurs players and staffers.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Feb. 2026
Picture galactic engines, just idling.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Also, three cars, idling in front of my house.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Swarms of cars and vans come and go from both sides; idling buses advertise destinations as far-flung as Lima or Santiago or Mendoza.
—Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2026
Noun
There is no penalty associated with unattended idling in state statute, however, individual municipalities have ordinances in place with fines for the action.
—Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 18 Nov. 2025
Verb
Nearly 40 million barrels of oil from Iran, Russia and Venezuela are on vessels idling near the country, up by more than 17% from the week before the conflict erupted, according to Kpler.
—Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026
Wright said the Russian oil being sold to India had been expected to go to Chinese refineries but had been idling at sea.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
Supply bottlenecks have been exacerbated by recent refinery closures, including the Phillips 66 refinery in Wilmington in October and the idling and planned closure of the Valero refinery in Benicia, which reduced refining capacity in the state by close to 20%.
—Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Does idling your car really burn that much fuel?
—Ryley Amond, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026
Two planes sat idling on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport late Wednesday night, both of them waiting on disparate groups of Spurs players and staffers.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Feb. 2026
Picture galactic engines, just idling.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Also, three cars, idling in front of my house.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Swarms of cars and vans come and go from both sides; idling buses advertise destinations as far-flung as Lima or Santiago or Mendoza.
—Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idling
Verb
-
The pair had been loafing for some time among a grove of apple trees on a private residence in Payson.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Within a few moments, an antlerless deer emerged, loafing along toward Ronnie, completely unalarmed.—
Jim Moore,
Outdoor Life,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Made from entirely high-quality foam, this may be more decorative than a comfortable couch for lounging, but most certainly gives your guests a stylish place to sit for cocktail hour.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Travelers want sleepwear that looks and feels put-together for both sleeping and lounging, which is where the Ekouaer Long-sleeve Ribbed Pajama Set comes in at 45 percent off.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The post featured a precious photo of the prairie dog resting flat on his back on a fuzzy pillow.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Mar. 2026
-
There was Hell, in the middle of the cover, his right hand resting on his bleeding chest.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This shortening interval raises fears that human experts may end up merely approving recommendations generated by algorithms.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The episodes helped the fourth season generate 28M views over this interval, which is exactly what the second half of Season 3 got in its opening weekend as well.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Further, there’s no excuse for Congress to continue dawdling on farm policy.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Faster pit stops could also help unlock sales for electric two-wheelers, which have been slow to catch on due to dawdling charge times and limited riding range.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Mar. 2023
Verb
-
Assemble layers of pasta, ham, vegetables, mayonnaise, and seasoning before covering it and chilling the salad for at least two hours.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
-
But a small yet solid body of science does suggest that chilling these carbohydrate-rich foods after cooking them still could help people slim down.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Stay in one of the town’s plentiful luxury vacation rentals to be within strolling distance of exceptional spas, lively restaurants, and some of the country’s greatest white-sand beaches.—
Sarah Cahalan,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The president of the United Arab Emirates was filmed calmly strolling through a Dubai mall, and an army of online influencers downplayed the images of burning hotels and closed airports.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Its clear, shallow waters were pleasant to wade into after lazing under one of the scrubby trees on the sand.—
Lucy Handley,
CNBC,
15 Nov. 2025
-
And poor, engine‑damaging quality or not, the ersatz aviation fuel had to work only once to get a kamikaze plane up and away to hit one of the enemy warships now lazing about in the offing around the Home Islands, often close enough to be spotted from shore with the naked eye.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idling. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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