Noun
-
the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling
"the car engine was running at idle"
Verb
-
be idle
exist in a changeless situation
"The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"
"He slugged in bed all morning"
-
run disconnected or idle
"the engine is idling"
- tick over
Adjective
-
not having a job
"idle carpenters"
"jobless transients"
"many people in the area were out of work"
- out of work -
not yielding a return
"dead capital"
"idle funds"
-
lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
"idle talk"
"a loose tongue"
-
silly or trivial
"idle pleasure"
"light banter"
"light idle chatter"
-
not in active use
"the machinery sat idle during the strike"
"idle hands"
-
without a basis in reason or fact
"baseless gossip"
"the allegations proved groundless"
"idle fears"
"unfounded suspicions"
"unwarranted jealousy"
-
not in action or at work
"an idle laborer"
"idle drifters"
"the idle rich"
"an idle mind"