Time is one of the most precious things we have, yet people often find themselves spending it on unimportant or unnecessary tasks. In English, idioms are colorful expressions that add depth and character to everyday communication.
They don’t always mean what the words literally say, but they carry meanings understood by native speakers. Learning idioms helps English learners sound natural and fluent.
When it comes to wasting time, English is full of creative phrases that describe laziness, procrastination, or spending time unproductively. Whether you want to talk about daydreaming, being distracted, or simply avoiding work, there’s an idiom for it.
These idioms make your speech more engaging and expressive. In this guide, you’ll explore over 47 idioms for wasting time, grouped into themes, along with meanings, examples, and tips for using them in daily life.
Did You Know?
The word procrastination comes from the Latin “procrastinare”, which means “to put off until tomorrow.” Many idioms about wasting time are playful, and some even date back hundreds of years. They show that people have always struggled with avoiding work or spending time carelessly!
Idioms About Procrastination
Killing Time
Meaning: Spending time without doing anything useful.
Example: I was just killing time at the airport before my flight.
Alternative: Passing the time.
Note: Common in daily conversation, informal settings.
Beat Around the Bush
Meaning: Avoiding the main topic or delaying the point.
Example: Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.
Alternative: Dragging it out.
Note: Useful in workplace or casual talk.
Drag One’s Feet
Meaning: To delay doing something on purpose.
Example: She’s dragging her feet about finishing the project.
Alternative: Procrastinate.
Note: Common in professional and personal settings.
Put Something on the Back Burner
Meaning: To delay or postpone a task.
Example: We’ll put the new plan on the back burner until next year.
Alternative: Put off.
Note: Semi-formal, often in business.
Spin One’s Wheels
Meaning: Wasting effort without making progress.
Example: I feel like I’m spinning my wheels with this assignment.
Alternative: Going in circles.
Note: Used in work and study situations.
Fiddle While Rome Burns
Meaning: Wasting time or being careless during a crisis.
Example: The managers fiddled while Rome burned during the financial crisis.
Alternative: Ignore the problem.
Note: Formal, often used in criticism.
Dilly-Dally
Meaning: To waste time through indecision or slow actions.
Example: Stop dilly-dallying; we’ll be late.
Alternative: Dawdle.
Note: Informal, often used with children.
Dawdle
Meaning: Move slowly and waste time.
Example: The kids dawdled on their way to school.
Alternative: Linger.
Note: Daily casual usage.
Put Off
Meaning: Delay doing something.
Example: He keeps putting off cleaning his room.
Alternative: Postpone.
Note: Common in both formal and informal English.
Monkey Business
Meaning: Fooling around instead of working.
Example: Stop the monkey business and get serious.
Alternative: Horseplay.
Note: Informal, playful situations.
Idioms About Laziness and Doing Nothing
Couch Potato
Meaning: A lazy person who sits around, often watching TV.
Example: Don’t be a couch potato all weekend.
Alternative: Slacker.
Note: Informal and humorous.
Lounge Around
Meaning: To lie or sit around without purpose.
Example: He spent the whole day lounging around the house.
Alternative: Idle away.
Note: Daily casual English.
Bum Around
Meaning: Waste time without a plan.
Example: We bummed around the city all afternoon.
Alternative: Hang out.
Note: Informal, often with friends.
Take It Easy
Meaning: To relax and avoid hard work.
Example: I’m just taking it easy today.
Alternative: Chill out.
Note: Casual conversations.
Do Nothing All Day
Meaning: Spend the day without productivity.
Example: He did nothing all day except scroll on his phone.
Alternative: Waste the day.
Note: Everyday informal English.
Laze Around
Meaning: Spend time being idle.
Example: We lazed around by the pool all summer.
Alternative: Lounge around.
Note: Informal, holiday or leisure context.
Idle Away Time
Meaning: Pass time without purpose.
Example: He idled away his afternoon at the café.
Alternative: Kill time.
Note: Slightly formal, descriptive writing.
Goof Off
Meaning: Avoid work and waste time.
Example: Stop goofing off and finish your homework.
Alternative: Mess around.
Note: Informal, especially among students.
Slack Off
Meaning: Avoid responsibilities or reduce effort.
Example: He got in trouble for slacking off at work.
Alternative: Skive off.
Note: Work or study environments.
Twiddle One’s Thumbs
Meaning: Sit around doing nothing.
Example: I was twiddling my thumbs while waiting for the meeting to start.
Alternative: Waste time.
Note: Common in formal and casual English.
Idioms About Distraction and Losing Focus
Daydream
Meaning: Think about pleasant things instead of paying attention.
Example: She was daydreaming in class again.
Alternative: Drift off.
Note: Daily life, informal.
Lost in Thought
Meaning: Deeply distracted or thinking about something else.
Example: He was lost in thought during the lecture.
Alternative: Zoned out.
Note: Neutral tone, works in writing too.
Off the Beaten Track (Time-wise)
Meaning: Doing something unusual instead of the task.
Example: I went off the beaten track instead of finishing my chores.
Alternative: Off track.
Note: Informal and descriptive.
Chase Rainbows
Meaning: Waste time pursuing unrealistic goals.
Example: He’s chasing rainbows instead of finding a real job.
Alternative: Pipe dream.
Note: Semi-formal, often critical.
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Meaning: Wasting effort by focusing on the wrong thing.
Example: You’re barking up the wrong tree if you blame me.
Alternative: Wrong track.
Note: Useful in debates and arguments.
Go Round in Circles
Meaning: Do something repeatedly without progress.
Example: We’re going round in circles with this plan.
Alternative: Spin one’s wheels.
Note: Workplace and casual talk.
Chase One’s Tail
Meaning: Busy but unproductive.
Example: I spent the day chasing my tail with little results.
Alternative: Run in circles.
Note: Common in daily conversations.
Get Sidetracked
Meaning: Lose focus on the main task.
Example: She got sidetracked by social media while studying.
Alternative: Distracted.
Note: Informal, daily life.
Lose Track of Time
Meaning: Forget how much time has passed.
Example: I lost track of time while playing games.
Alternative: Time slipped away.
Note: Informal and formal.
Shooting the Breeze
Meaning: Talking casually without purpose.
Example: We were just shooting the breeze at the café.
Alternative: Small talk.
Note: Informal, friendly conversations.
Idioms About Delays and Wasting Opportunities
Miss the Boat
Meaning: Miss an opportunity by delaying.
Example: He missed the boat on investing early.
Alternative: Lost the chance.
Note: Semi-formal, common in work or finance.
Waste One’s Breath
Meaning: Speak pointlessly without result.
Example: You’re wasting your breath trying to convince him.
Alternative: Talk to a brick wall.
Note: Informal, sometimes harsh.
Beat the Clock (Opposite Usage)
Meaning: Usually to finish before time, but failure means wasting time.
Example: We didn’t beat the clock, so we wasted hours.
Alternative: Run out of time.
Note: Informal and formal.
Lost Time is Never Found Again
Meaning: A proverb reminding wasted time can’t be regained.
Example: She learned that lost time is never found again.
Alternative: Time waits for no one.
Note: Proverb, often in writing or moral lessons.
Hold Up
Meaning: Cause delay.
Example: The traffic held us up for an hour.
Alternative: Delay.
Note: Neutral, common in conversation.
Spin a Yarn
Meaning: Tell a long, pointless story.
Example: He loves spinning a yarn instead of working.
Alternative: Ramble on.
Note: Informal, storytelling context.
Piddle Away Time
Meaning: Waste time on unimportant things.
Example: He piddled away the whole afternoon online.
Alternative: Fritter away time.
Note: Informal, slightly old-fashioned.
Fritter Away Time
Meaning: Waste small amounts of time on little things.
Example: Don’t fritter away your weekends doing nothing.
Alternative: Piddle away.
Note: Common in writing and speech.
Lose Time
Meaning: Fail to use time wisely.
Example: We lost time waiting for the documents.
Alternative: Waste time.
Note: Formal and neutral tone.
Time on One’s Hands
Meaning: Have extra time with nothing to do.
Example: I had time on my hands, so I painted.
Alternative: Spare time.
Note: Neutral, casual use.
How to Use These Idioms in Daily Life
Idioms make your English sound natural. Use them in:
- Speaking: Add color to casual conversations. Example: “We were just shooting the breeze at the park.”
- Writing: Use idioms in stories, blogs, or informal emails. Example: “He frittered away his day.”
- Professional Use: Some idioms are suitable for the workplace. Example: “Let’s not spin our wheels on this task.”
The key is knowing the setting. Some idioms are playful, while others are appropriate for business.
Common Mistakes Learners Make With Idioms
- Wrong Literal Meaning:
❌ He was really killing time (means murder).
✅ He was killing time while waiting. - Mixing Idioms:
❌ She was beating her feet around the bush.
✅ She was beating around the bush. - Overusing Idioms:
❌ He’s a couch potato, twiddling thumbs, shooting the breeze…
✅ Use one idiom naturally in a sentence.
FAQs
Q1: Why should I learn idioms about wasting time?
They help you express procrastination, laziness, and delays more naturally and add variety to your English.
Q2: Are these idioms formal or informal?
Most are informal, but some like put on the back burner or drag one’s feet fit professional settings.
Q3: Can I use idioms in exams or essays?
Yes, but use them carefully. Choose formal idioms or proverbs for essays.
Q4: What’s the difference between “kill time” and “waste time”?
Kill time means passing time when you have nothing to do, while waste time implies spending time carelessly.
Q5: How can I remember idioms better?
Practice using them in real sentences, create flashcards, and connect idioms with daily situations.
Conclusion
Time wasted can never be regained, but at least we have fun ways to talk about it! Idioms for wasting time give you lively expressions to describe procrastination, delays, laziness, and distractions.
By mastering these phrases, you can make your English more natural and expressive. Whether you’re “killing time” or “twiddling your thumbs,” you’ll always have the right words to capture the moment.
Keep practicing these idioms in conversations and writing, and you’ll notice how quickly your fluency improves. Don’t waste time—start using them today!
