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# idle

«idle» in Mova's school dictionary: **Not working or not being used, as in «the machines stood…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (idle, idler, idlest); verb (idle, idles, idled, idling)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Not working or not being used, as in «the machines stood idle». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#m1)

2) Lazy, not wanting to work. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#m2)

3) Without a real reason or purpose, as in «idle chatter» or «an idle threat». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#m3)

4) (verb) Of an engine: to run slowly while the car is not moving. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#m4)

5) (verb) To spend time doing nothing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In safety and science: an idling car makes fumes, so many schools have «no idling» signs. In stories: «idle hands», «idle gossip». In computing a computer can be idle. Phrases: stand idle, idle chatter, idle threat, idle away the time.

### examples

- Please don't let the engine idle outside the school. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#x1)
- The tractor sat idle in the shed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#x2)
- Don't be idle — help me tidy up. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#x3)
- It was just idle chatter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#x4)
- We idled away the afternoon in the garden. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#x5)
- His threat was an idle one. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#x6)
- The computer goes to sleep when it is idle. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#x7)
- As long as our father lived Alnaschar was very idle. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/#x8)

### note

Homophone: «idol» (someone you admire, or a statue worshipped). Adverb: idly. Noun: idleness. In maths, time a machine is idle produces nothing, so it does not add to the total made.

### In the corpora

- [Come and bear a hand, Rat, and don't stand about idle!» (bear a hand = help).](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/56-willows-ch9-part1-change-in-the-air/17/)
- [The Camel came by "chewing milkweed most 'scruciating idle" and laughed at them.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/75-justso-camel-hump/10/)
- [He also learned how habits change: slowly, with fewer silly friends and more to do than to be idle.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/342-breaking-things-and-hiding-the-pieces/11/)
- [Habits change slowly: fewer friends who lead you into trouble and more things to do than to be idle.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/342-breaking-things-and-hiding-the-pieces/22/)
- [Idle time with friends who egg you on makes trouble more likely; clubs and hobbies help change habits.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/365-confession-prayer-and-making-amends-at-church/25/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «idle» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/idle/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.