Synonyms of idling

idling 1 of 2

noun

as in loafing

Related Words

• loafing
• lounging
• interval
• slacking
• interim
• legal holiday
• rest
• intermission
• holy day
• relaxation
• breather
• feast
• respite
• furlough
• liberty
• vacation
• sabbatical
• leave
• holiday
• recess
• hols
• break

idling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of idle

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

• loafing
• lounging
• dawdling
• resting
• lazing
• chilling
• strolling
• droning
• bumming
• relaxing
• playing
• lazying
• lolling
• dillydallying
• poking
• footling
• hanging (around or out)
• killing time
• vegging out
• hacking (around)
• mucking
• kicking back
• dallying
• goofing (off)
• lingering
• messing
• hanging about
• dozing
• loitering
• hibernating
• twiddling one's thumbs
• piddling
• monkeying
• kicking around
• lagging
• trifling
• sauntering
• fooling
• ambling
• estivating
• fiddling (around)
• moseying
• puttering (around)
• pottering (around)
• tarrying
• swanning
• goldbricking
• truanting
• malingering
• furloughing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• working
• laboring
• plowing
• grinding
• sweating
• toiling
• plugging
• hustling
• slaving
• plodding
• humping
• grubbing
• pegging
• applying
• drudging
• buckling (down)
• moiling
• travailing
• exerting
• putting out

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of idling

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

Diesel engine idling and high-risk industrial activity across the street from homes and parks would bring air, noise and light pollution. — Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

And Rovell quickly discovered Kobe’s mind was incapable of idling, even during dead-of-night text exchanges. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Amazon representatives say the drone noise is comparable to an idling delivery truck when close to it, and that cameras cannot be accessed, only serving as a safety measure for flights. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Working with Nic was like driving a Lamborghini that could shift from unbreakable speed to idling like a purring lioness. — Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026

Residents described idling in traffic as roads became jammed with evacuees. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026

Not only that, unnecessary idling isn’t exactly great for your car’s engine. — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026

The researchers used their machine-learning framework to separate the influence of driving behavior from other factors known to affect battery aging, including temperature, state of charge, and periods of idling. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026

Gas shortages have interrupted textile and apparel production across major industrial areas, idling garment lines and raising concerns about whether export orders will ship on time. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026