Not occupied

The answer

IDLE

4 letters. See every clue for this answer on the IDLE answer page.

Used 13 times across 10 distinct years; most recently in 2025; first recorded in 1943. It appears in 7 publications in the xd corpus. Frequency and last-seen figures come from the xd crossword corpus only.

Other answers for this clue

The same clue has also been answered these ways in the xd corpus. Answers inside this collection link to their own answer page.

• FREE (7 uses in xd)
• AVAILABLE (1 uses in xd)
• EMPTY (1 uses in xd)
• UNENGAGED (1 uses in xd)
• VOID (1 uses in xd)

Other clues for IDLE

Every other clue in this collection answered by IDLE, most used first.

• Doing nothing - used 237 times, most recently in 2026
• Not doing anything - used 165 times, most recently in 2026
• Inactive - used 154 times, most recently in 2026
• Not working - used 138 times, most recently in 2026
• Not busy - used 132 times, most recently in 2026
• Between jobs - used 87 times, most recently in 2025
• Just sitting around - used 85 times, most recently in 2026
• Run in neutral - used 70 times, most recently in 2026
• Twiddling one's thumbs - used 63 times, most recently in 2025
• Unemployed - used 61 times, most recently in 2019
• Not active - used 50 times, most recently in 2026
• Not in use - used 50 times, most recently in 2026
• Run in place - used 42 times, most recently in 2026
• Goofing off - used 41 times, most recently in 2026
• Unoccupied - used 37 times, most recently in 2026
• At rest - used 36 times, most recently in 2025
• Not up to much - used 34 times, most recently in 2026
• Not doing much - used 32 times, most recently in 2026
• Eric of Monty Python - used 31 times, most recently in 2026
• Out of work - used 31 times, most recently in 2018
• Like some threats - used 29 times, most recently in 2025
• Pointless - used 29 times, most recently in 2026
• Run without moving - used 28 times, most recently in 2024
• Just hanging around - used 27 times, most recently in 2024
• Loafing - used 27 times, most recently in 2023
• Vain - used 24 times, most recently in 2008
• Gathering dust - used 23 times, most recently in 2014
• Baseless - used 22 times, most recently in 2015
• Not engaged - used 22 times, most recently in 2026
• Unused - used 22 times, most recently in 2024
• Groundless - used 21 times, most recently in 2013
• Like some chatter - used 21 times, most recently in 2025
• Just sitting there - used 19 times, most recently in 2026
• Like a couch potato - used 18 times, most recently in 2026
• Empty. - used 17 times, most recently in 2011
• Out of action - used 17 times, most recently in 2020
• Vegging out - used 17 times, most recently in 2019
• Between assignments - used 16 times, most recently in 2014
• Like some rumors - used 16 times, most recently in 2018
• Unproductive - used 16 times, most recently in 2025
• Do nothing - used 15 times, most recently in 2025
• Not in operation - used 15 times, most recently in 2022
• Sit in traffic - used 15 times, most recently in 2026
• At leisure - used 14 times, most recently in 2025
• Frivolous - used 14 times, most recently in 2024
• Loafing around - used 14 times, most recently in 2026
• Sitting around - used 14 times, most recently in 2026
• Just lying around - used 13 times, most recently in 2022
• Sitting on one's hands - used 13 times, most recently in 2015
• Between gigs - used 12 times, most recently in 2013
• Lay off - used 12 times, most recently in 2025
• Thumb-twiddling - used 12 times, most recently in 2020
• Unfounded. - used 12 times, most recently in 2015
• Useless - used 12 times, most recently in 2013
• At a standstill - used 11 times, most recently in 2023
• Just hanging out - used 11 times, most recently in 2021
• Slothful - used 11 times, most recently in 2026
• Trifling. - used 11 times, most recently in 2007
• At liberty - used 10 times, most recently in 2003
• Between engagements - used 10 times, most recently in 2012
• Indolent - used 10 times, most recently in 2020
• Lazy - used 10 times, most recently in 2013
• Not doing much of anything - used 10 times, most recently in 2025
• Not going anywhere - used 10 times, most recently in 2026
• "Spamalot" co-creator Eric - used 10 times, most recently in 2026
• Type of chatter - used 10 times, most recently in 2007
• Just chillin' - used 9 times, most recently in 2026
• Killing time - used 9 times, most recently in 2024
• Otiose - used 9 times, most recently in 1991
• Run, but go nowhere - used 9 times, most recently in 2017
• Futile - used 8 times, most recently in 1997
• In couch-potato mode - used 8 times, most recently in 2025
• Monty Python's Eric - used 8 times, most recently in 2024
• Not moving - used 8 times, most recently in 2026
• Unbusy - used 8 times, most recently in 2023
• Going nowhere - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
• Hanging around - used 7 times, most recently in 2025
• Just sitting - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
• Loaf - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
• Nonworking - used 7 times, most recently in 2009
• Not playing - used 7 times, most recently in 2011
• Sit at a light - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
• Wait at the light - used 7 times, most recently in 2016
• Wait for the green - used 7 times, most recently in 2013
• Without work - used 7 times, most recently in 2014
• Dilly-dallying - used 6 times, most recently in 2012
• Dillydally - used 6 times, most recently in 2026
• Empty, as a threat - used 6 times, most recently in 2022
• Groundless, as rumors - used 6 times, most recently in 2015
• "___ hands are the devil's tools" - used 6 times, most recently in 2020
• In neutral - used 6 times, most recently in 2021
• Kind of talk - used 6 times, most recently in 2015
• Like loafers - used 6 times, most recently in 2022
• Like some hands - used 6 times, most recently in 2015
• Not being used - used 6 times, most recently in 2025
• Not up to anything - used 6 times, most recently in 2025
• On the shelf - used 6 times, most recently in 2010
• Run a car in neutral - used 6 times, most recently in 2014
• Shiftless - used 6 times, most recently in 2015
• Unfounded, as gossip - used 6 times, most recently in 2010
• Wait for the green light - used 6 times, most recently in 2014
• Waste time - used 6 times, most recently in 2023

Related clues

Clues in this collection of the same answer length that share a word with this clue, or match its answer pattern when no word is shared. Most used first.

• Not fooled by - ONTO, used 444 times
• Not as much - LESS, used 378 times
• If not - ELSE, used 199 times
• Not "fer" - AGIN, used 181 times
• Not pro - ANTI, used 172 times
• Not so much - LESS, used 171 times

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