idle

“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

Vital supplies went down with ships sunk by winter storms or sat idle in the harbor at Balaclava while men died on the heights above.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 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

Reverend Hunt begins to explain again, but Captain Smith finds us boys sitting idle and tells Reverend Hunt he needs us to come work in the gardens.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

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

Oh, that would be the uncle who willed his farm and estate to Onegin, a charming idler.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2020

What’s missing is a palpable grit, particularly in Whitted’s performance, that would help us to a belief in Hal’s head-spinning pivot from idler and carouser to beloved hero of the realm.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 10, 2019

No idler, he read everything and studied at universities throughout Germany and France.

From New York Times ● May 14, 2011

Racing a whale, reader, seems idle work, but sailors, when far away at sea, do idler things than that.

From The Cruise of the Snowbird A Story of Arctic Adventure by Stables, Gordon

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

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)

At such times, the idlest fancy is more potent with the mind than the soundest arguments of reason.

From History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Death of Elizabeth. Vol. II. by Froude, James Anthony

There was the usual result of tittle-tattle, especially among the idlest and most numerous members of the community.

From The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi Volume the Second by Gozzi, Count Carlo

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

“We live right here on the water, sure, we are lucky. But it’s like someone leaves a big truck, just parks it and idles it in front of your house.”

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 24, 2021

Back at the cemetery on Boston's North Shore in Lynn, Dave's youngest son, Cameron, idles near David's grave, his voice cracking as he struggles to talk about his brother, his hero.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2019

A line of black town cars idles at the curb while their drivers smoke and chat with each other.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

His girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, idled their car in a disabled parking spot, accompanied by the couple’s other child.

From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026

He voiced his rage over an empty reservoir, idled fire trucks and what he called dangerous brush clearance policies.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 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

Buses idled their motors, filling the air with a stifling odor of exhaust fumes.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

The officer walked up to my idling Impala and informed me that my left taillight was out.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

But the sounds of idling diesel work truck engines had replaced the dozens of fire trucks that had been stationed there for days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

"I don't think anyone who is struggling with fuel costs would benefit from sitting in an idling queue with their engines turning over and their fuel being wasted."

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

Lines of idling trucks stretch several miles to the nearby U.A.E. port of Khorfakkan, which is picking up shipments that can’t reach Dubai anymore.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

The buses sat idling with their doors wide open.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin