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
• resting
• dawdling
• chilling
• strolling
• lazing
• playing
• bumming
• droning
• relaxing
• lazying
• lolling
• dillydallying
• poking
• footling
• hanging (around or out)
• killing time
• mucking
• vegging out
• hacking (around)
• lingering
• kicking back
• dallying
• goofing (off)
• messing
• hanging about
• dozing
• loitering
• hibernating
• twiddling one's thumbs
• piddling
• monkeying
• kicking around
• lagging
• sauntering
• trifling
• 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

Rasmussen in 1978 was idling in traffic on Connecticut’s Interstate 84 after acquiring a satellite transponder from RCA, and decided to launch a new network devoted only to sports on a single acre near the small town of Bristol. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026

A couple blocks away there are at least nine police cars, parked, idling. — Sydney Brownstone, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026

Effects of laws against idling In short, anti-idling laws target potentially severe pollution health risks from what is generally a wasteful practice of convenience. — Richard Marcantonio, The Conversation, 31 July 2026

Miriam Adelson, the Republican mega-donor and generous supporter of Israeli causes, walked out with two aides who held her by her arms and helped her into an idling Mercedes. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026

Video of the confrontation appears to show Nelson idling in a snowy strip mall parking lot in his gray Dodge Ram when another driver in an even larger pickup pulls in beside him. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

One aspect that contributed to the gridlock was a number of Waymo's self-driving robotaxis idling on the road as traffic officials tried to remedy the halt in traffic. — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 10 July 2026

The nearly 3,000-foot-long train was patiently idling beside the platform at East Perth Terminal, where a spread of scones, strawberry jam, clotted cream, and Bollinger champagne welcomed eager travelers. — Justin Meneguzzi, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026

The second album this year from metalcore pioneers Converge is named for a mysterious, pulsing, low-frequency ambient drone, likened by those who hear it to a diesel engine, an idling airplane, or a kind of inescapable torture. — Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 24 June 2026