Idle away Meaning in English
expression
ˈaɪdəɫ/ /əˈweɪ
EYE-duhl uh-WAY
ˈaɪdəl/ /ɐwˈeɪ
EYE-duhl uh-WAY
Definition
To spend time doing nothing important, often relaxing or being lazy instead of engaging in productive activities.
Usage & Nuances
Informal and usually slightly negative; often used as 'idle away the hours/time/days.' Implies wasting time without purpose, not the same as intentional relaxation. Not used for machines — only people.
Spanish: malgastar - perder el tiempoPortuguese (BR): desperdiçar - passar à toaPortuguese (PT): desperdiçar - passar sem fazer nadaChinese (Simplified): 虚度（时间）- 消磨（时间）Chinese (Traditional): 虛度（時間）- 消磨（時間）Hindi: आलसीपन में बिताना - समय बर्बाद करनाArabic: يُضيّع (الوقت) - يَمضي الوقت بلا فائدةBengali: অর্থহীনভাবে সময় কাটানো - অলসভাবে সময় নষ্ট করাRussian: бездельничать - праздно проводить времяJapanese: 何もしないで過ごす - 時間を無駄にするVietnamese: nghỉ ngơi lãng phí thời gian - giết thời gianKorean: 빈둥거리다 - 한가롭게 시간을 보내다Turkish: boşa vakit harcamak - aylaklık etmekUrdu: فضول میں وقت گزارنا - وقت ضائع کرناIndonesian: menghabiskan waktu dengan santai - bermalas-malasan
Example Sentences
He likes to idle away his afternoons in the park.
basic
We idled away the summer doing nothing special.
basic
Don’t idle away your time when you have homework to do.
basic
We spent the rainy day just idling away in front of the TV.
natural
He tends to idle away whole weekends playing video games.
natural
Sometimes it feels good to just idle away a few hours with friends at a café.
natural