Definition of idle

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< idiotype

idle character >

i·dle    (dl) KEY  

ADJECTIVE:
i·dler , i·dlest

1. 1. Not employed or busy: idle carpenters. See Synonyms at inactive.
   2. Avoiding work or employment; lazy: shiftless, idle youth. See Synonyms at lazy.
   3. Not in use or operation: idle hands.
2. Lacking substance, value, or basis. See Synonyms at baseless, vain.

VERB:
i·dled , i·dling , i·dles
VERB:
intr.

1. To pass time without working or while avoiding work.
2. To move lazily and without purpose.
3. To run at a slow speed or out of gear. Used of a motor vehicle.

VERB:
tr.

1. To pass (time) without working or while avoiding work; waste: idle the afternoon away.
2. To make or cause to be unemployed or inactive.
3. To cause (a motor, for example) to idle.

NOUN:

1. A state of idling. Used of a motor vehicle: an engine running quietly at idle.
2. A mechanism for regulating the speed at which an engine runs at rest: set the idle higher to keep the motor from stalling.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English idel, from Old English del

OTHER FORMS:
idle·ness (Noun), idler   (dlr) KEY  (Noun), idly (Adverb)

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