Meaning & use
idling
Last updated
running or operating without doing any productive work, especially an engine left running while a vehicle is stationary.
See it in a sentence
The truck sat idling outside the warehouse for nearly an hour.
He spent the afternoon idling by the pool instead of finishing his work.
A note on using this word
Applies both to machines, as in an idling engine, and to people passing time unproductively.
Words with a similar meaning
loafingrunning unused
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
workingoperating
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