adjective
idler, idlest
1
- (of a person) avoiding work; lazy（人）怠工的; 懒散的。
1.1
- (of a person) not working; unemployed（人）无业的, 失业的。
1.2
- (especially of a machine or factory) not active or in use（尤指机器、工厂）闲置的：
assembly-lines standing idle for want of spare parts.
因缺少备件而闲置的组装线。
1.3
- attrib.(of time) characterized by inaction or absence of significant activity（时间）空闲的, 闲着的：
at no time in the day must there be an idle moment.
一天中不能有一刻是闲着的。
1.4
- (of money) held in cash or in accounts paying no interest（钱）现金保存的, 存于无息账户的。
2
- without purpose or effect; pointless无目的的; 无用的; 无意义的：
he did not want to waste valuable time in idle chatter.
他不想把宝贵的时间浪费在毫无意义的闲聊上。
2.1
- (especially of a threat or boast) without foundation（尤指威胁、夸口）不以事实为基础的：
I knew Ellen did not make idle threats.
我知道埃伦的威胁不会只是口上说说而已。
no obj.
1- (of a person) spend time doing nothing; be idle（人）虚度光阴; 闲混：
four men were idling outside the shop.
四个男人在商店外闲待着。
1.1
- no obj., with adverbial of direction move aimlessly or lazily闲逛：
Robert idled along the pavement.
罗伯特沿着人行道闲逛。
1.2
- (of an engine) run slowly while disconnected from a load or out of gear（发动机）空转, 慢转：
the car is noisily idling in the street.
汽车发动机在街头的空转噪声刺耳。
1.3
- with obj. cause (an engine) to idle使（发动机）空转, 使（发动机）慢转。
1.4
- with obj. N. Amer. take out of use or employment〈北美〉使闲置; 使失业：
he will close the newspaper, idling 2,200 workers.
他将停办报纸, 会有2,200个工人失业。
派生词
idleness
noun词源
Old English īdel 'empty, useless', of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch ijdel 'vain, frivolous, useless' and German eitel 'bare, worthless'.
短语动词
idle something away
- spend one's time doing nothing or very little荒废, 浪费, 虚掷光阴。