Wasting time is something we all do sometimes, but we might not always realize it. In English, there are fun and clever ways to talk about wasting time using idioms. Idioms are special phrases that mean something different from the exact words used. Learning these expressions can help you speak more naturally and understand others better.
In this article, we will explore some common idioms that describe wasting time. You’ll see how these phrases are used and learn why they can make your English more colorful. At the end, there’s a fun activity to help you practice and remember them. Let’s dive in and discover these interesting phrases together!
Idioms for Wasting Time
1. Kill time
Meaning: To do something unimportant while waiting for something else.
In a Sentence: I played a game on my phone to kill time while waiting for the bus. / We walked around the mall to kill time before the movie started.
Other Ways to Say: Waste time, Pass the time
2. Fiddle around
Meaning: To do unimportant tasks instead of focusing on what’s important.
In a Sentence: Stop fiddling around and get your homework done! / He fiddled around with his pen instead of working on the project.
Other Ways to Say: Fool around, Mess around
3. Burn daylight
Meaning: To waste time, especially during the day.
In a Sentence: Hurry up! We’re burning daylight and still have so much to do. / If you don’t start now, you’ll burn daylight and miss the chance.
Other Ways to Say: Waste time, Lose time
4. Beat around the bush
Meaning: To avoid talking directly about something important.
In a Sentence: Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened! / She beat around the bush instead of answering the question.
Other Ways to Say: Stall, Avoid the point
5. Drag one’s feet
Meaning: To act slowly or delay something on purpose.
In a Sentence: Don’t drag your feet! We need to leave soon. / He’s dragging his feet about cleaning his room.
Other Ways to Say: Take your time, Stall
6. Dawdle
Meaning: To move or act slowly, wasting time.
In a Sentence: Stop dawdling or we’ll miss the bus! / She dawdled over her breakfast instead of getting ready.
Other Ways to Say: Linger, Take your sweet time
7. Twiddle your thumbs
Meaning: To do nothing useful while waiting.
In a Sentence: I was twiddling my thumbs while waiting for my friend to arrive. / He twiddled his thumbs during the boring meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Sit idle, Wait around
8. Goof off
Meaning: To waste time by not working or being lazy.
In a Sentence: The kids were goofing off instead of studying. / Don’t goof off! You have chores to finish.
Other Ways to Say: Fool around, Waste time
9. Kill two birds with one stone
Meaning: To accomplish two things at once, but sometimes inefficiently.
In a Sentence: I killed two birds with one stone by cleaning the kitchen while talking on the phone. / Let’s kill two birds with one stone and pick up dinner while we’re out.
Other Ways to Say: Be productive (ironically), Multitask (with sarcasm)
10. Spin your wheels
Meaning: To waste effort on something that goes nowhere.
In a Sentence: I feel like I’m spinning my wheels on this math problem. / Don’t spin your wheels—ask for help if you’re stuck.
Other Ways to Say: Go in circles, Get nowhere
11. Blow off steam
Meaning: To relax by doing something unimportant, often to relieve stress.
In a Sentence: After school, I played video games to blow off steam. / He goes for a run to blow off steam after a tough day.
Other Ways to Say: Chill out, Relax
12. Let the grass grow under your feet
Meaning: To waste time by being inactive.
In a Sentence: Don’t let the grass grow under your feet—start working on your essay now. / She didn’t let the grass grow under her feet and finished the task quickly.
Other Ways to Say: Delay, Procrastinate
13. Make a mountain out of a molehill
Meaning: To waste time exaggerating a small problem.
In a Sentence: Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill; it’s just a small mistake. / He always makes a mountain out of a molehill during group projects.
Other Ways to Say: Overreact, Blow it out of proportion
14. Take forever
Meaning: To do something very slowly, wasting time.
In a Sentence: She takes forever to get ready in the morning. / Why does it take forever to find my keys when I’m in a hurry?
Other Ways to Say: Move slowly, Waste time
15. Beat the clock
Meaning: To work quickly to finish before a deadline, but sometimes waste time at the start.
In a Sentence: We beat the clock and finished our project on time. / He tried to beat the clock by studying all night.
Other Ways to Say: Work fast (ironically), Race against time
16. Chase your tail
Meaning: To waste time doing things that aren’t productive.
In a Sentence: I spent the whole afternoon chasing my tail and got nothing done. / He’s been chasing his tail trying to fix that old computer.
Other Ways to Say: Go in circles, Be unproductive
17. Bide your time
Meaning: To wait patiently, often wasting time in the process.
In a Sentence: She’s biding her time until the meeting starts. / I bided my time by reading a book while waiting for the bus.
Other Ways to Say: Wait it out, Pass the time
18. Throw away time
Meaning: To waste time on unimportant things.
In a Sentence: Don’t throw away your time watching TV all day. / He threw away time scrolling through social media instead of studying.
Other Ways to Say: Waste time, Lose time
19. Laze around
Meaning: To relax or do nothing productive.
In a Sentence: We lazed around the house all weekend. / She’s always lazing around instead of doing her chores.
Other Ways to Say: Lounge around, Be lazy
20. Procrastinate
Meaning: To delay doing something important by doing other things instead.
In a Sentence: Don’t procrastinate—start your homework now! / He procrastinated on cleaning his room until the last minute.
Other Ways to Say: Put it off, Delay
21. Piddle away
Meaning: To waste time or resources.
In a Sentence: He piddled away the afternoon playing video games. / Don’t piddle away your time when you have an important test tomorrow.
Other Ways to Say: Squander, Waste
22. Waste your breath
Meaning: To talk about something pointless or to someone who won’t listen.
In a Sentence: Don’t waste your breath arguing with him; he won’t change his mind. / I wasted my breath explaining the rules to someone who didn’t care.
Other Ways to Say: Talk in vain, Speak to a wall
23. Take your sweet time
Meaning: To act slowly or waste time on purpose.
In a Sentence: She took her sweet time getting ready for school. / He always takes his sweet time when it’s time to clean up.
Other Ways to Say: Move slowly, Be leisurely
24. Do nothing
Meaning: To sit idle and waste time.
In a Sentence: I did nothing all day except watch TV. / Don’t just sit there and do nothing—help me clean up!
Other Ways to Say: Be idle, Relax
25. Overthink things
Meaning: To spend too much time thinking about something instead of acting.
In a Sentence: Stop overthinking things and just make a decision. / She overthinks everything, even small choices.
Other Ways to Say: Overanalyze, Think too much
26. Slack off
Meaning: To avoid working or being productive.
In a Sentence: Don’t slack off, or you’ll fall behind in class. / He slacked off during practice, so the coach got mad.
Other Ways to Say: Be lazy, Neglect work
27. Putter around
Meaning: To do small, unimportant things without a clear purpose.
In a Sentence: I puttered around the kitchen while waiting for dinner to cook. / He likes to putter around the house on weekends.
Other Ways to Say: Tinker, Fiddle around
28. Pass the buck
Meaning: To avoid responsibility by blaming someone else.
In a Sentence: Don’t pass the buck; it’s your turn to do the dishes. / She passed the buck instead of admitting her mistake.
Other Ways to Say: Shift blame, Avoid responsibility
29. Waste time on small talk
Meaning: To spend time talking about unimportant topics.
In a Sentence: Stop wasting time on small talk and get to the point. / We wasted time on small talk instead of starting the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Chat idly, Gossip
30. Doodle away time
Meaning: To spend time drawing or scribbling instead of focusing.
In a Sentence: I doodled away time during the long lecture. / She doodled away the afternoon instead of cleaning her room.
Other Ways to Say: Scribble, Waste time drawing
31. Zone out
Meaning: To lose focus and waste time daydreaming.
In a Sentence: I zoned out during the long speech. / He zoned out and missed the teacher’s instructions.
Other Ways to Say: Daydream, Space out
32. Hang around
Meaning: To stay in one place doing nothing important.
In a Sentence: We hung around the park all afternoon. / Don’t hang around the mall all day—get your chores done.
Other Ways to Say: Loiter, Linger
33. Waste time on gossip
Meaning: To talk about others instead of doing useful tasks.
In a Sentence: They wasted time on gossip instead of doing their homework. / Stop wasting time on gossip and focus on your goals.
Other Ways to Say: Talk idly, Spread rumors
34. Lose track of time
Meaning: To become unaware of how much time has passed.
In a Sentence: I lost track of time while playing video games. / She lost track of time and was late for dinner.
Other Ways to Say: Forget the time, Be unaware of the clock
35. Wile away the hours
Meaning: To spend time in a relaxed, unproductive way.
In a Sentence: I wiled away the hours reading comic books. / They wiled away the afternoon sitting by the lake.
Other Ways to Say: Pass the time, Relax
Exercise to practice
- Jake decided to __________ his thumbs while waiting for his turn at the doctor’s office.
- Mia didn’t want to do her chores, so she spent the afternoon __________ around the house.
- Mom told us not to __________ time on small talk and to get to the point.
- Sarah __________ her feet when it was time to clean her messy bedroom.
- Instead of working on his homework, Ethan was __________ off and playing video games.
- We were told not to __________ daylight if we wanted to finish painting the fence before sunset.
- Emma zoned out and started to __________ away time by doodling in her notebook.
- At the party, people were just __________ around the living room instead of dancing.
- During the meeting, Tom started to __________ around with his pen instead of paying attention.
- Ashley and her friends __________ the hours watching their favorite TV show.
- Lucas completely lost __________ of time while riding his bike around the neighborhood.
- Ben told Ava not to __________ the buck and to accept responsibility for the broken lamp.
Answers
- Twiddle
- Lazing
- Waste
- Dragged
- Goofing
- Burn
- Doodle
- Hanging
- Fiddle
- Wiled
- Track
- Pass
Conclusion
Learning idioms about wasting time can make conversations more interesting and fun. These expressions help you colorfully describe everyday situations. They are also great for understanding what others mean when they use these phrases.
By practicing these idioms, you’ll improve your English and feel more confident using them. Keep practicing with real-life examples, and soon these phrases will become a natural part of how you talk.