idle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“You are not an idle passenger of history. You get to control the impact that technology has on you and your society.”
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
The company earlier this week opened a new 737 MAX production line in Everett, Wash., at a site that previously produced other jet models but had been idle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The remaining 35% of idle capacity gives Meta an additional monetization lever.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Crews that have been idle for months will most likely have "performed regular onboard drills and maintained the ships' machinery, technical installations and equipment", Jakob Larsen, head of security at shipowners' association Bimco, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
He waved an idle hand at the trio.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
There is an almost continuous succession of scenes in which Nicholson sketches this idler, lover, jokester, manipulator, con man, gambler, loner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2023
Batman co-creator Bob Kane wrote in his 1998 autobiography “Batman and Me”: “The rich foppish Don Diego, Zorro’s alter ego, inspired Bruce Wayne’s facade of being a bored, wealthy idler and playboy.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 29, 2020
Oh, that would be the uncle who willed his farm and estate to Onegin, a charming idler.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2020
Behind it all is John D. Rockefeller Jr. — or Junior, as he was known — a man with a feisty wife and few obvious passions beyond the wish to avoid seeming like an idler.
From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2013
Truant, trōō′ant, n. an idler: a boy who, idly or without excuse, absents himself from school.—adj. wandering from duty: loitering: idle.—v.i. to play truant.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Shettleston is one of Britain’s poorest, idlest and sickest places; at 64, male life expectancy is 15 years below the national average and falling.
From Economist ● Jul. 10, 2014
On the idlest previous day in the history of the bureau, Feb. 25, 1932, there had been 56 licenses issued.
From Time Magazine Archive
Only the most curious and the idlest lingered and watched the hysteria of the woman in the automobile, who clutched her companion, weeping and laughing.
From McClure's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, No. 3, July 1908. by Various
The money which it will cost me is no more than I have thrown away many times on the idlest passing pleasure.
From Mr. Marx's Secret by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
"The idlest whim," the prince assured her quietly.
From The Hillman by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
On a warm day in mid-May, Grohl appears relaxed and self-assured — but not arrogant — as she idles on a sofa in a cozy Studio City ADU owned by her publicist.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
As I sit in the car with C after the second ICE vehicle sped off, the remaining Wagoneer idles midblock—right in front of C’s house.
From Slate ● Jan. 16, 2026
A carpenter whose own narrowboat is moored in a clump of four boats says that when one of his neighbours idles her older diesel engine, the exhaust seeps right into his boat, nearly choking him.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2023
“Billy never idles, so why should you?” the ’80s MTV star growls in a public service announcement intended to shame New Yorkers into shutting the engine off.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2020
The car idles in front of my house.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
His girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, idled their car in a disabled parking spot, accompanied by the couple’s other child.
From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026
Then there is MP, which restarted the Mountain Pass mine in 2018 External link after it had idled in 2015.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
Repositioning of tankers and a return to normal operations for idled plants were among the factors Nasser cited for the delay.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
Iluka expects a US$45/ton gain in prices in 2Q, although its Cataby mine remains idled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
He idled in the barber shop and purchased a few trifles at the ten-cent store.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
The officer walked up to my idling Impala and informed me that my left taillight was out.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
The spokesperson added the council was looking to develop "eco driving" across the fleet, starting with monitoring its vehicles' throttle usage, speed, mileage and idling in an effort to reduce fuel usage and carbon emissions.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
It seems these days that almost everyone there has seen or felt the aftermath of an immigration raid: cars with shattered windows left idling and businesses emptied of their usual employees and patrons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
More than 200 tankers are idling on both sides of the strait, leaving Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar unable to transport crude oil and petroleum products.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
“It is the monsoon. I cannot sit here idling while the days slip past and we are still far from home.”
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
Vocabulary lists containing idle
Some Tricky Homonyms
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The Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer
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List 8
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