- 1[transitive, intransitive] to spend time doing nothing important idle something (+ adv./prep.) They idled the days away, talking and watching television. (+ adv./prep.) They idled along by the river (= walked slowly and with no particular purpose).
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- 2[intransitive] (of an engine) to run slowly while the vehicle is not moving She left the car idling at the curb.
- 3[transitive] idle somebody/something to close a factory, etc. or stop providing work for the workers, especially temporarily The strikes have idled nearly 4 000 workers.
idle
verbNAmE//ˈaɪdl//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they idle he / she / it idles
past simple idled
-ing form idling
Check pronunciation: idle