Time, that precious and fleeting resource, has inspired a colorful array of idioms that vividly capture the act of squandering it through procrastination, idleness, or unproductive pursuits, painting a picture of moments slipping away like sand through an hourglass. These expressions, rich with metaphor and wit, reflect the human tendency to dawdle, delay, or engage in fruitless activities, often with a hint of humor or caution. In this extensive listicle, we’ll explore 51 idioms related to wasting time, unpack their meanings, and illustrate how they can add a lively spark to your conversations about productivity and procrastination. So, let’s stop dawdling and dive into this vibrant collection of idioms, discovering how they can make your discussions about time as engaging as a ticking clock.
What is an Idiom for Wasting Time?
Idioms for wasting time are figurative phrases that use evocative language to describe actions or behaviors that squander time, whether through procrastination, idle distractions, or pursuits that yield no meaningful results. These expressions make conversations about inefficiency or delay more vivid, relatable, and dynamic, whether you’re lamenting a missed deadline or poking fun at aimless lounging. Let’s delve into each idiom, unravel its meaning, and see how it can enrich your dialogue with the essence of time slipping away.
Idioms for Wasting Time
1. Twiddle Your Thumbs
Meaning: To waste time by doing nothing productive, often out of boredom or idleness.
In a Sentence: While waiting for the delayed meeting to start, she twiddled her thumbs, idly spinning her pen and wishing she had brought some work to keep her occupied.
2. Kill Time
Meaning: To pass time aimlessly with unimportant or unproductive activities.
In a Sentence: Stranded at the airport for hours, he killed time by wandering through shops, browsing magazines, and sipping coffee without any real purpose.
3. Fiddle Around
Meaning: To waste time by engaging in trivial or aimless activities.
In a Sentence: Instead of starting his project, he fiddled around with his phone, scrolling through social media and delaying the important tasks that awaited him.
4. Beat Around the Bush
Meaning: To waste time by avoiding the main topic or delaying a direct approach.
In a Sentence: Rather than addressing the budget issues head-on, the team beat around the bush, wasting time with vague discussions that led nowhere productive.
5. Drag Your Feet
Meaning: To waste time by delaying or moving slowly, often due to reluctance.
In a Sentence: He dragged his feet on the report, wasting time by reorganizing his desk and making unnecessary revisions instead of submitting it on schedule.
6. Spin Your Wheels
Meaning: To waste time and effort on something that yields no progress or results.
In a Sentence: She spent weeks spinning her wheels on a flawed business plan, wasting time tinkering with details instead of rethinking the fundamentally unworkable strategy.
7. Dilly-Dally
Meaning: To waste time through indecision or slow, aimless behavior.
In a Sentence: The group dilly-dallied at the trailhead, wasting time debating which path to take instead of starting their hike before the afternoon heat set in.
8. Lollygag
Meaning: To waste time by lingering or dawdling in a carefree or lazy manner.
In a Sentence: Instead of preparing for the exam, he lollygagged in the park, wasting time watching squirrels and daydreaming under the shade of a sprawling oak tree.
9. Dawdle
Meaning: To waste time by moving or acting slowly, often without purpose.
In a Sentence: She dawdled over breakfast, wasting time sipping coffee and flipping through a magazine instead of getting ready for her important morning meeting.
10. Kick Around
Meaning: To waste time idly, often by doing something unimportant or casual.
In a Sentence: With no urgent tasks, they kicked around the office, wasting time chatting about weekend plans instead of tackling the backlog of paperwork.
11. Mess Around
Meaning: To waste time by engaging in playful or unproductive activities.
In a Sentence: He messed around with random apps on his tablet, wasting time experimenting with filters instead of finishing the presentation due that evening.
12. Putter Around
Meaning: To waste time by doing small, unimportant tasks in a leisurely way.
In a Sentence: On her day off, she puttered around the house, wasting time rearranging knickknacks and watering plants instead of starting her novel’s next chapter.
13. Goof Off
Meaning: To waste time by acting silly or engaging in unproductive fun.
In a Sentence: The interns goofed off in the break room, wasting time playing impromptu games instead of helping with the urgent project their team needed.
14. Waste Away
Meaning: To let time pass unproductively, often with a sense of decline or loss.
In a Sentence: He let the afternoon waste away, lounging on the couch and binge-watching shows instead of working on the skills that could advance his career.
15. Burn Daylight
Meaning: To waste valuable time, especially when there’s limited time to act.
In a Sentence: They burned daylight debating minor details, wasting time that could have been spent finalizing the event plans before the venue closed for the day.
16. Fritter Away
Meaning: To waste time or resources gradually on trivial or unproductive things.
In a Sentence: She frittered away the morning, wasting time browsing online stores and reading celebrity gossip instead of preparing for her critical client meeting.
17. Let the Grass Grow Under Your Feet
Meaning: To waste time by being idle or failing to take action.
In a Sentence: He let the grass grow under his feet, wasting time hesitating on the job offer instead of seizing the opportunity before it slipped away.
18. Sit on Your Hands
Meaning: To waste time by remaining inactive or refusing to take action.
In a Sentence: Instead of addressing the crisis, the manager sat on his hands, wasting time as the situation worsened and frustrated the entire team.
19. Mark Time
Meaning: To waste time by engaging in routine or unproductive activities without progress.
In a Sentence: While waiting for the new software, the team marked time, wasting hours on redundant tasks instead of strategizing for the upcoming launch.
20. Faff About
Meaning: To waste time with aimless or inefficient activities, often in a disorganized way.
In a Sentence: She faffed about with her email settings, wasting time tweaking fonts and signatures instead of responding to the urgent messages piling up.
21. Loaf Around
Meaning: To waste time by being lazy or idle, often in a relaxed but unproductive state.
In a Sentence: He loafed around the apartment all weekend, wasting time napping and snacking instead of tackling the home repairs he’d promised to complete.
22. Muck About
Meaning: To waste time by fooling around or engaging in silly, unproductive behavior.
In a Sentence: The kids mucked about in the backyard, wasting time chasing each other instead of helping with the chores their parents had assigned.
23. Hang Around
Meaning: To waste time by lingering in a place without purpose or action.
In a Sentence: With no plans, they hung around the mall, wasting time window-shopping and chatting instead of working on their group project due soon.
24. Stall for Time
Meaning: To waste time deliberately to delay an action or decision.
In a Sentence: During the negotiation, he stalled for time, wasting minutes with irrelevant questions to buy himself a chance to consult his team before agreeing.
25. Run Out the Clock
Meaning: To waste time intentionally to avoid action until a deadline or opportunity passes.
In a Sentence: The committee ran out the clock, wasting time with lengthy debates to avoid making a controversial decision before the session ended.
26. Like Watching Paint Dry
Meaning: To describe an activity so boring it feels like a waste of time.
In a Sentence: Sitting through the outdated training video was like watching paint dry, wasting time that could have been spent learning relevant skills hands-on.
27. Chase Your Tail
Meaning: To waste time by pursuing something in a frantic but unproductive way.
In a Sentence: He chased his tail trying to fix a minor glitch, wasting time tweaking settings instead of consulting the manual for a quick solution.
28. Bark Up the Wrong Tree
Meaning: To waste time by pursuing the wrong approach or target.
In a Sentence: She barked up the wrong tree, wasting time researching irrelevant data instead of focusing on the core issue her professor had outlined.
29. Go Down a Rabbit Hole
Meaning: To waste time by getting distracted by irrelevant or overly detailed pursuits.
In a Sentence: While researching her essay, she went down a rabbit hole, wasting time reading obscure articles that had little to do with her actual topic.
30. Kick the Can Down the Road
Meaning: To waste time by postponing a problem or decision instead of addressing it.
In a Sentence: The team kicked the can down the road, wasting time by delaying the budget cuts that were inevitable and needed immediate attention.
31. Pass the Buck
Meaning: To waste time by shifting responsibility to someone else, avoiding action.
In a Sentence: The manager passed the buck, wasting time by redirecting complaints to another department instead of resolving the customer’s issue directly.
32. Watch the Clock
Meaning: To waste time by focusing on when a task will end rather than working on it.
In a Sentence: Eager for the weekend, he watched the clock, wasting time daydreaming about his plans instead of finishing the report due that afternoon.
33. Have Time on Your Hands
Meaning: To have excess time that leads to wasting it on unproductive activities.
In a Sentence: With the project delayed, she had time on her hands, wasting it reorganizing her desk instead of preparing for the next phase of work.
34. Shoot the Breeze
Meaning: To waste time by engaging in casual, aimless conversation.
In a Sentence: They shot the breeze over coffee, wasting time gossiping about coworkers instead of reviewing the agenda for the upcoming team meeting.
35. Count the Ceiling Tiles
Meaning: To waste time by doing something trivial or mindless due to boredom.
In a Sentence: Stuck in a dull seminar, he counted the ceiling tiles, wasting time instead of taking notes that could have helped with his certification exam.
36. Daydream
Meaning: To waste time by indulging in idle fantasies or thoughts instead of focusing.
In a Sentence: Instead of studying, she daydreamed about her summer vacation, wasting time imagining beach sunsets while her textbooks remained unopened.
37. Chew the Fat
Meaning: To waste time by engaging in lengthy, casual conversation.
In a Sentence: The old friends chewed the fat for hours, wasting time reminiscing about high school instead of catching up on their current responsibilities.
38. Take the Scenic Route
Meaning: To waste time by choosing a longer or less efficient path, often deliberately.
In a Sentence: He took the scenic route through his tasks, wasting time exploring unnecessary details instead of completing the assignment efficiently.
39. Spin Your Yarn
Meaning: To waste time by telling long, rambling stories or explanations.
In a Sentence: During the meeting, he spun his yarn about past projects, wasting time with anecdotes that distracted from the urgent issues at hand.
40. Tarry
Meaning: To waste time by lingering or delaying, often unnecessarily.
In a Sentence: She tarried at the café, wasting time chatting with the barista instead of heading to the library to finish her research paper before the deadline.
41. Laze About
Meaning: To waste time by being idle or lounging without purpose.
In a Sentence: On his day off, he lazed about the house, wasting time flipping through TV channels instead of tackling the errands he’d planned to complete.
42. Potter Around
Meaning: To waste time by engaging in minor, aimless tasks in a leisurely manner.
In a Sentence: She pottered around the garden, wasting time rearranging pots instead of planting the seeds she’d promised to start that morning.
43. Doodle
Meaning: To waste time by drawing or scribbling aimlessly, often when distracted.
In a Sentence: During the lecture, he doodled in his notebook, wasting time sketching cartoons instead of taking notes on the critical material being presented.
44. Drag Out
Meaning: To waste time by unnecessarily prolonging a task or process.
In a Sentence: The team dragged out the planning session, wasting time debating trivial details instead of finalizing the strategy for the product launch.
45. Fritter and Waste
Meaning: To waste time or resources on frivolous or unproductive activities.
In a Sentence: He frittered and wasted the day, spending hours rearranging his music playlist instead of preparing for the job interview scheduled tomorrow.
46. Monkey Around
Meaning: To waste time by behaving foolishly or engaging in playful, unproductive antics.
In a Sentence: The siblings monkeyed around in the garage, wasting time building a makeshift fort instead of helping their parents with the spring cleaning.
47. Lose Track of Time
Meaning: To waste time by becoming so absorbed in an activity that you neglect other tasks.
In a Sentence: She lost track of time playing an online game, wasting hours that were meant for studying and leaving her unprepared for the upcoming exam.
48. Mill Around
Meaning: To waste time by lingering aimlessly in a group, often without purpose.
In a Sentence: After the event was postponed, guests milled around the venue, wasting time chatting idly instead of heading home to attend to their evening plans.
49. Stall
Meaning: To waste time by deliberately delaying or avoiding action.
In a Sentence: He stalled on the decision, wasting time by requesting more data when he already had enough information to make an informed choice.
50. Whittle Away
Meaning: To waste time gradually, often through small, unproductive actions.
In a Sentence: She whittled away the afternoon, wasting time tweaking her website’s design instead of focusing on the content that needed urgent updates.
51. Flounder
Meaning: To waste time by struggling aimlessly or inefficiently, often with confusion.
In a Sentence: He floundered through his research, wasting time jumping between unrelated topics instead of following a clear plan to complete his thesis draft.
Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article
Quiz 1: Twiddle Your Thumbs
What does the idiom “Twiddle your thumbs” mean?
a) To work diligently
b) To waste time by doing nothing productive
c) To plan carefully
d) To rush a task
Quiz 2: Kill Time
What is the meaning of “Kill time”?
a) To use time efficiently
b) To pass time aimlessly
c) To meet deadlines
d) To avoid distractions
Quiz 3: Fiddle Around
When someone says, “Fiddle around,” what are they emphasizing?
a) Completing tasks quickly
b) Wasting time on trivial activities
c) Focusing intently
d) Prioritizing work
Quiz 4: Drag Your Feet
What does the idiom “Drag your feet” suggest?
a) Moving quickly
b) Wasting time by delaying
c) Acting decisively
d) Finishing early
Quiz 5: Spin Your Wheels
What situation is described by the idiom “Spin your wheels”?
a) Making rapid progress
b) Wasting time with no results
c) Planning effectively
d) Meeting goals
Quiz 6: Dilly-Dally
If someone is “dilly-dallying,” what are they doing?
a) Working efficiently
b) Wasting time through indecision
c) Staying focused
d) Completing tasks
Quiz 7: Go Down a Rabbit Hole
What does the expression “Go down a rabbit hole” imply?
a) Staying on task
b) Wasting time on irrelevant pursuits
c) Solving problems quickly
d) Avoiding distractions
Quiz 8: Kick the Can Down the Road
When is it appropriate to say, “Kick the can down the road”?
a) When resolving issues
b) When postponing a problem
c) When acting promptly
d) When finishing a task
Quiz 9: Shoot the Breeze
What is the meaning of “Shoot the breeze”?
a) Working hard
b) Wasting time with casual conversation
c) Planning a project
d) Meeting deadlines
Quiz 10: Lose Track of Time
When someone “loses track of time,” what are they doing?
a) Managing time well
b) Wasting time by being absorbed
c) Staying on schedule
d) Avoiding distractions
Answers:
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
Conclusion
Idioms for wasting time are like verbal snapshots of procrastination, capturing the art of dawdling with humor and relatability. By weaving these 51 idioms into your conversations, you can make your stories of idleness as vivid as twiddling your thumbs, as relatable as frittering away the day, and as cautionary as letting the grass grow under your feet, enriching your dialogue with the timeless theme of time slipping away.