If you are wasting time, the right idioms for wasting time can make your English more expressive. These common idioms explain time wasting through figurative meaning rather than literal meaning. Moreover, English idioms and idiomatic expressions help you describe delays, idle activities, and doing very little naturally. You will also discover expressions for wasting time that fit everyday conversations and practical communication.
From kill time to twiddle your thumbs, these time-related idioms create clear mental pictures of wasted hours. They can describe phone scrolling, waiting in a queue, daydreaming, or delaying something important. Therefore, learning their meanings, examples, and tone notes helps you choose each phrase correctly. These colorful expressions can add humor, personality, and natural flow to your spoken English.
What Is an Idiom?
An idiom is a fixed or familiar expression whose meaning cannot always be understood by interpreting each word literally.
For example, “break the ice” does not usually mean physically breaking ice. It means to make people feel more comfortable in a new or awkward situation. Likewise, “spill the beans” means to reveal a secret, not to drop beans on the floor.
The literal meaning is what the words say directly. The figurative meaning is the idea the expression communicates. Idioms can be confusing for English learners because the individual words may suggest an entirely different meaning from the expression as a whole.
How Is an Idiom Different From a Metaphor or Simile?
These forms of figurative language are related, but they aren’t identical.
- Idiom: A familiar expression with a figurative meaning, such as “kill time,” meaning to spend time doing something while waiting.
- Metaphor: A direct comparison that describes one thing as another, such as “Time is a thief.” This creates imagery but isn’t necessarily an established idiom.
- Simile: A comparison using “like” or “as,” such as “The minutes crawled like snails.”
- Literal expression: Words used in their ordinary direct sense, such as “I spent two hours waiting for the bus.”
A useful rule is that not every creative or figurative phrase is an idiom. Established usage matters.
Why Use Idioms for Wasting Time?
Idioms let you describe wasted time with more personality than a plain statement such as “He spent too much time doing nothing.”
For example, “twiddle your thumbs” suggests sitting around without anything useful to do, while “spin your wheels” suggests putting in effort without making meaningful progress. “Fritter away time” adds the idea that valuable time is being gradually wasted.
These expressions can help you:
- Express frustration or amusement about wasted time.
- Make descriptions more vivid and memorable.
- Communicate ideas indirectly without sounding repetitive.
- Add personality to everyday conversations.
- Make stories and creative writing more engaging.
- Understand expressions commonly encountered in everyday English.
- Choose vocabulary that matches the exact situation.
Quick List of 20 Idioms
- Kill Time
- While Away the Hours
- Fritter Away Time
- Twiddle Your Thumbs
- Spin Your Wheels
- Goof Off
- Horse Around
- Mess Around
- Monkey Around
- Dilly-Dally
- Take Your Sweet Time
- Drag Your Feet
- Mark Time
- Burn Daylight
- Let the Grass Grow Under Your Feet
- Kick Your Heels
- Sit on Your Hands
- Shilly-Shally
- At a Snail’s Pace
- Lose Track of Time
Kill Time
Meaning: Kill time means to spend time doing something while waiting for something else to happen. It often suggests that the activity isn’t especially important or productive.
The word “kill” is not literal here. You aren’t destroying time. The expression simply means passing time until something you actually care about begins or becomes possible.
In a Sentence:
“I read a few articles on my phone to kill time while I waited for my appointment.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Pass the time
- Fill the time
- Keep yourself occupied
- While away the time
Explanation:
This is one of the most common expressions connected with wasting time, but it doesn’t always imply careless waste. You can “kill time” because you’re bored, waiting, or simply have nothing better to do.
Tone: Casual and very common.
Best Use: Everyday conversation, personal messages, storytelling, and informal writing.
Common Mistake:
“Kill time” usually means passing time, not necessarily being irresponsible. If someone spends hours avoiding important work, “fritter away time” may be more precise.
See Also: 20 Idioms for Dancing (With Examples)
While Away the Hours
Meaning: While away the hours means to spend a period of time in a relaxed, often unproductive way.
It can suggest quietly passing time without a strong purpose. Unlike some harsher expressions, it doesn’t necessarily criticize the person doing it.
In a Sentence:
“She whiled away the afternoon reading old magazines in the waiting room.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Pass the afternoon
- Spend the time
- While away the day
- Fill the hours
Explanation:
The expression creates an image of time gradually passing while someone is occupied with a relatively light activity. It often sounds more relaxed or literary than “waste time.”
Tone: Relaxed, gentle, sometimes literary.
Best Use: Storytelling, creative writing, personal descriptions, and conversational English.
Common Mistake:
The usual construction is “while away time” or “while away the hours,” not “while time away.”
Fritter Away Time
Meaning: Fritter away time means to waste time gradually on things that have little value or importance.
Unlike “kill time,” this expression usually carries a negative judgment. It suggests that time that could have been used well is being carelessly spent.
In a Sentence:
“If I keep frittering away my evenings on pointless arguments online, I’ll never finish the project.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Waste time
- Squander time
- Throw time away
- Spend time carelessly
Explanation:
“Fritter” originally has the sense of breaking or spending something into small portions. Figuratively, it suggests allowing valuable time to disappear little by little.
Tone: Critical or cautionary.
Best Use: Essays, advice, personal reflection, and conversations about poor time management.
Common Mistake:
“Fritter away” normally carries the idea of careless waste, so it isn’t the best choice for simply describing time spent relaxing.
Twiddle Your Thumbs
Meaning: Twiddle your thumbs means to sit or wait without doing anything useful, especially because you have nothing else to do.
The figurative image is of someone literally moving their thumbs around while sitting idle.
In a Sentence:
“We had another hour before the train arrived, so we spent it at the café instead of twiddling our thumbs at the station.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Sit around
- Do nothing
- Wait idly
- Have nothing to do
Explanation:
This expression strongly suggests idleness. It can be used when someone is waiting for another person, an event, or an opportunity.
Tone: Informal and slightly playful.
Best Use: Everyday conversation, informal writing, and humorous situations.
Common Mistake:
Don’t use it to describe productive waiting. Someone reading a book while waiting isn’t necessarily “twiddling their thumbs.”
Spin Your Wheels
Meaning: Spin your wheels means to put effort into something without making useful progress.
The expression comes from the image of wheels spinning without moving a vehicle forward.
In a Sentence:
“We’ve spent three meetings discussing the same issue, and we’re just spinning our wheels.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Make no progress
- Go nowhere
- Work without results
- Get nowhere
Explanation:
This expression is different from simply being lazy. Someone can spin their wheels while working very hard. The problem is that the effort isn’t producing meaningful progress.
Tone: Informal, frustrated, and practical.
Best Use: Work conversations, problem-solving, project discussions, and everyday speech.
Common Mistake:
“Spin your wheels” does not necessarily mean doing nothing. It often means doing a lot without getting anywhere.
Goof Off
Meaning: Goof off means to behave playfully or spend time doing unimportant things instead of working or concentrating.
In a Sentence:
“The students started goofing off as soon as the teacher left the room.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Mess around
- Fool around
- Slack off
- Waste time
Explanation:
“Goof off” focuses on avoiding serious work by playing, joking, chatting, or engaging in distractions. It often describes a temporary lapse rather than deliberate long-term procrastination.
Tone: Casual, playful, informal.
Best Use: Everyday conversation and informal descriptions of school, work, or household situations.
Common Mistake:
Because it is informal, “goof off” may sound out of place in a formal report or professional document.
Horse Around
Meaning: Horse around means to behave playfully, foolishly, or noisily instead of concentrating on what you should be doing.
In a Sentence:
“Stop horsing around and help me carry these boxes.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Fool around
- Play around
- Mess around
- Act silly
Explanation:
This expression often involves playful behavior rather than simple inactivity. It can describe friends joking around or children being silly when they should be paying attention.
Tone: Informal and playful.
Best Use: Family conversations, casual speech, storytelling, and humorous writing.
Common Mistake:
“Horsing around” isn’t necessarily about wasting time. It can also describe playful behavior when no important task is being delayed.
Mess Around
Meaning: Mess around can mean to spend time doing unimportant things, behave playfully, or avoid dealing seriously with something.
In a Sentence:
“We don’t have much time, so stop messing around and finish the report.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Fool around
- Goof off
- Waste time
- Play around
Explanation:
The expression is flexible. In the context of wasting time, it usually suggests unfocused or unnecessary activity. Depending on context, however, “mess around” can have other meanings.
Tone: Casual and informal.
Best Use: Everyday conversation, informal messages, and dialogue.
Common Mistake:
Don’t assume “mess around” always means waste time. Context determines its meaning.
Monkey Around
Meaning: Monkey around means to behave foolishly, play around, or spend time doing something without a clear serious purpose.
In a Sentence:
“He spent the whole morning monkeying around instead of fixing the broken shelf.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Fool around
- Mess around
- Play around
- Goof off
Explanation:
The expression gives wasted time a playful image. It can suggest experimentation or casual activity, but when used critically, it means someone isn’t taking a task seriously.
Tone: Informal and playful.
Best Use: Casual conversation and storytelling.
Common Mistake:
“Monkey around” can sometimes mean tampering or experimenting with something, so the surrounding sentence matters.
Dilly-Dally
Meaning: Dilly-dally means to waste time by moving slowly, hesitating, or delaying instead of taking action.
In a Sentence:
“Quit dilly-dallying and get your shoes on—we’re already late.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Dawdle
- Delay
- Linger
- Drag your feet
Explanation:
This expression is especially useful when the problem is unnecessary hesitation or slowness. It often sounds mildly scolding rather than seriously angry.
Tone: Informal, playful, sometimes old-fashioned.
Best Use: Everyday conversation, children’s dialogue, humorous writing, and light criticism.
Common Mistake:
“Dilly-dally” usually involves delay or hesitation, not simply relaxing or taking a planned break.
Take Your Sweet Time
Meaning: Take your sweet time means to take a long time to do something. Depending on tone, it can be sincere or sarcastic.
In a Sentence:
“Take your sweet time answering that email; there’s no deadline today.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Take your time
- Don’t hurry
- Go at your own pace
- Take as long as you need
Explanation:
The phrase is highly dependent on context. Said warmly, it can mean someone should feel no pressure. Said impatiently, it can suggest that someone is taking far too long.
Tone: Casual; often sarcastic when used critically.
Best Use: Everyday conversation, dialogue, and informal messages.
Common Mistake:
Don’t assume it always means “waste time.” The ordinary form “take your time” can be a friendly way to tell someone not to rush.
Drag Your Feet
Meaning: Drag your feet means to delay taking action because you are reluctant, unwilling, or slow to act.
The figurative image comes from walking slowly with your feet dragging along the ground.
In a Sentence:
“The company has been dragging its feet on replacing the outdated equipment.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Delay
- Stall
- Procrastinate
- Drag your heels
Explanation:
This idiom focuses more on reluctance and delay than simple idleness. It is especially useful when someone should take action but keeps postponing it.
Tone: Informal to neutral.
Best Use: Everyday speech, workplace discussions, journalism, and general writing.
Common Mistake:
“Drag your feet” does not necessarily mean the person is doing absolutely nothing. They may be taking other actions while avoiding one particular task.
Mark Time
Meaning: Mark time means to wait without making progress or to continue doing something without moving toward a new stage.
In a Sentence:
“The team is marking time until management decides whether the project will continue.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Wait
- Hold off
- Stay in place
- Make no progress
Explanation:
The expression comes from marching terminology, where a person can move their feet without actually advancing. In general use, it describes maintaining the current situation without moving forward.
Tone: Neutral to formal.
Best Use: Professional writing, news-style writing, workplace discussions, and situations involving delays.
Common Mistake:
“Mark time” is not limited to wasting time. It can describe a deliberate temporary pause while waiting for a decision or change.
Burn Daylight
Meaning: Burn daylight means to waste the useful hours of the day, especially by delaying action.
In a Sentence:
“Let’s get moving instead of burning daylight talking about the same problem.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Waste time
- Lose valuable time
- Delay
- Use up the day
Explanation:
The expression treats daylight as a limited resource that disappears as the day passes. It works especially well when time is important and a delay has consequences.
Tone: Informal and somewhat old-fashioned.
Best Use: Outdoor situations, storytelling, advice, and informal speech.
Common Mistake:
It is more natural when there is a reason to value the available daylight. It may sound unusual when discussing ordinary late-night activities.
Let the Grass Grow Under Your Feet
Meaning: Let the grass grow under your feet means to be slow to act or fail to take opportunities because of unnecessary delay.
In a Sentence:
“You’ve been offered a place on the course, so don’t let the grass grow under your feet.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Don’t delay
- Take action
- Don’t sit around
- Make the most of the opportunity
Explanation:
The exaggerated image suggests someone has stood still for so long that grass has had time to grow beneath their feet. It emphasizes inaction and missed opportunities.
Tone: Idiomatic, traditional, and somewhat old-fashioned.
Best Use: Advice, storytelling, literary writing, and conversations with a humorous or traditional flavor.
Common Mistake:
The expression is not usually about literally wasting every spare minute. It focuses on failing to act when action is needed.
Kick Your Heels
Meaning: Kick your heels means to wait idly, often because you have been delayed or have nothing useful to do.
In a Sentence:
“We were left kicking our heels in the lobby while the manager searched for the missing documents.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Wait around
- Sit around
- Wait idly
- Twiddle your thumbs
Explanation:
The image suggests someone standing or sitting around with nothing productive to occupy them. It often carries a sense of frustrated waiting.
Tone: Informal to literary.
Best Use: Storytelling, informal writing, and descriptions of frustrating delays.
Common Mistake:
“Kicking your heels” usually involves waiting, so it isn’t the best expression for someone actively wasting time on entertainment.
Sit on Your Hands
Meaning: Sit on your hands means to fail to take action when action is needed or expected.
In a Sentence:
“We can’t just sit on our hands while the problem gets worse.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Do nothing
- Fail to act
- Stand by
- Remain inactive
Explanation:
The literal image is of someone physically sitting on their hands so they cannot use them. Figuratively, it suggests deliberate or unnecessary inaction.
Tone: Direct, informal, sometimes critical.
Best Use: Discussions about responsibility, decisions, problems, and situations requiring action.
Common Mistake:
This expression usually implies that action is expected. It doesn’t simply mean having a quiet day.
Shilly-Shally
Meaning: Shilly-shally means to hesitate, be indecisive, or delay taking action.
In a Sentence:
“We need to choose a supplier today, so there is no time to shilly-shally.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Hesitate
- Waver
- Dither
- Drag your feet
Explanation:
This expression focuses on indecision rather than laziness. Someone who shilly-shallies may spend too much time considering possibilities instead of making a decision.
Tone: Informal and somewhat old-fashioned.
Best Use: Humorous writing, conversation, and situations where indecision is the main problem.
Common Mistake:
Don’t use “shilly-shally” simply as a synonym for all forms of wasting time. Its strongest idea is hesitation and indecision.
At a Snail’s Pace
Meaning: At a snail’s pace means moving or progressing extremely slowly.
In a Sentence:
“The approval process is moving at a snail’s pace, so the launch has been pushed back.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Very slowly
- At a slow rate
- Inch along
- Move slowly
Explanation:
A snail is associated with extremely slow movement, creating an easy-to-understand image of painfully slow progress. The expression doesn’t necessarily mean someone is deliberately wasting time, but it is useful when slow progress causes time to be lost.
Tone: Informal and vivid.
Best Use: Everyday conversation, workplace discussions, storytelling, and informal writing.
Common Mistake:
This expression describes speed, not necessarily intention. A process can move at a snail’s pace because of circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
Lose Track of Time
Meaning: Lose track of time means to become so absorbed, distracted, or unaware that you no longer know how much time has passed.
In a Sentence:
“I lost track of time while organizing the photos and suddenly realized it was midnight.”
Other Ways to Say It:
- Forget the time
- Become absorbed
- Let the hours slip by
- Be unaware of the time
Explanation:
Unlike many expressions on this list, “lose track of time” isn’t necessarily negative. You can lose track of time while doing something productive, relaxing, or enjoyable. It belongs here because it can describe time passing unnoticed.
Tone: Neutral and very common.
Best Use: Everyday conversation, personal writing, storytelling, and informal messages.
Common Mistake:
Losing track of time is not automatically wasting time. The activity itself determines whether the time was useful, enjoyable, or unproductive.
Exercise: Practice Using Idioms
Choose the answer that best fits each question.
1. What does “spin your wheels” mean?
A. To exercise regularly
B. To move very quickly
C. Facing work without making meaningful progress
D. To change your plans suddenly
2. Which expression best describes waiting idly for something to happen?
A. Kick your heels
B. Burn daylight
C. Goof off
D. Mark time
3. Which sentence uses “fritter away time” naturally?
A. We frittered away the meeting by finishing the report early.
B. She frittered away her savings on unnecessary purchases.
C. He frittered away the afternoon scrolling through pointless videos.
D. They frittered away the deadline by arriving before noon.
4. What does “twiddle your thumbs” usually suggest?
A. Working carefully
B. Waiting without anything useful to do
C. Making a difficult decision
D. Moving extremely quickly
5. Which expression focuses on unnecessary hesitation?
A. Shilly-shally
B. Kill time
C. Lose track of time
D. Horse around
6. Someone says, “Stop horsing around and finish your homework.” What does “horsing around” mean here?
A. Riding a horse
B. Working efficiently
C. Behaving playfully instead of concentrating
D. Taking a planned break
7. Which expression can have either a friendly or sarcastic tone depending on context?
A. Burn daylight
B. Take your sweet time
C. Spin your wheels
D. Kick your heels
8. What does “drag your feet” usually imply?
A. Physical injury
B. Reluctance or delay
C. Fast movement
D. Careful preparation
9. Which expression describes spending time while waiting for something else?
A. Kill time
B. Sit on your hands
C. Let the grass grow under your feet
D. Shilly-shally
10. Which sentence correctly uses “at a snail’s pace”?
A. The runner completed the race at a snail’s pace in record time.
B. The project is moving at a snail’s pace because approvals keep taking weeks.
C. She ate dinner at a snail’s pace because she was extremely hungry.
D. He solved the problem at a snail’s pace because he knew the answer immediately.
11. What does “sit on your hands” usually suggest?
A. Failing to take action
B. Taking a comfortable seat
C. Preparing for a meeting
D. Working with your hands
12. Which expression most clearly suggests wasting useful daylight through delay?
A. Lose track of time
B. Goof off
C. Burn daylight
D. While away the hours
13. Which statement about “lose track of time” is correct?
A. It always means someone was lazy.
B. It always describes deliberate procrastination.
C. It means someone refused to work.
D. It can happen during either useful or unproductive activities.
14. Which expression describes slow action that can cause missed opportunities?
A. Let the grass grow under your feet
B. Kill time
C. Horse around
D. Twiddle your thumbs
15. Which expression is most suitable for a workplace situation where someone is making a lot of effort but achieving no progress?
A. While away the hours
B. Spin your wheels
C. Horse around
D. Take your sweet time
Answers
- C — “Spin your wheels” means putting in effort without making meaningful progress.
- A — “Kick your heels” describes waiting idly, often because of an unwanted delay.
- C — “Fritter away time” means carelessly wasting time on something of little value.
- B — “Twiddle your thumbs” suggests sitting or waiting without anything useful to do.
- A — “Shilly-shally” focuses on hesitation and indecision that causes delay.
- C — “Horse around” means behaving playfully or foolishly instead of concentrating.
- B — “Take your sweet time” can be sincere or sarcastic depending on the speaker’s tone and context.
- B — “Drag your feet” means delaying because of reluctance, hesitation, or unwillingness to act.
- A — “Kill time” means spending time while waiting for something else to happen.
- B — “At a snail’s pace” describes extremely slow progress.
- A — “Sit on your hands” means failing to take action when action is expected.
- C — “Burn daylight” specifically suggests wasting useful daylight by delaying.
- D — You can lose track of time while working, relaxing, reading, playing, or doing something unproductive.
- A — “Let the grass grow under your feet” suggests being slow to act and potentially missing opportunities.
- B — “Spin your wheels” is especially useful when effort is being made but meaningful progress isn’t happening.
FAQs
What are common idioms for wasting time?
Common idioms for wasting time include kill time, fritter away time, twiddle your thumbs, and spin your wheels. Each expression has a different meaning, so choose one that matches the situation.
What does “kill time” mean?
Kill time means to spend time while waiting for something else to happen. It usually describes passing time and does not always suggest careless or unproductive behavior.
What idiom describes working without making progress?
Spin your wheels describes putting in effort without making meaningful progress. It is useful when someone works hard but their actions lead nowhere.
Which idiom describes delaying or hesitating?
Drag your feet means delaying action because of reluctance, while shilly-shally focuses more on hesitation and indecision. Both can describe unnecessary delays in everyday situations.
Can these idioms be used in everyday English?
Yes, many of these English idioms work well in everyday English and casual conversations. Expressions such as kill time, goof off, drag your feet, and lose track of time are especially common.
Conclusion
20 Idioms for Wasting Time offers useful English idioms for describing delays, idle moments, and unproductive actions naturally. From kill time and twiddle your thumbs to drag your feet and spin your wheels, each expression adds a clear figurative meaning and helps you communicate with more personality. Choose the phrase that matches the situation, tone, and intent to make your everyday English more natural and expressive.
