English Meaning & Definitions
To spend time in an idle, lazy, or aimless way.
- “He spent the entire afternoon loafing around the house instead of finishing his chores.”
- “The manager caught the employees loafing in the breakroom when they should have been on the sales floor.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “loafing”.
Derived from the verb 'loaf,' which appeared in the mid-19th century (c. 1835). It is likely a back-formation from 'loafer,' which may have originated from the German 'Landläufer' (vagabond or land-runner), though some linguists suggest it is related to the Dutch 'loopen' (to run). The association with 'loaf' (bread) is a folk etymology, though it humorously aligns with the idea of someone who is 'bread-fed' and idle.
Think of someone sitting on the sofa all day doing nothing; 'loafing' on the 'sofa'.
Frequently Asked Questions About “loafing”
1. What is the meaning of “loafing” in English?
In English, loafing (verb) is defined as: “To spend time in an idle, lazy, or aimless way.”.
2. How do you use “loafing” in a sentence?
“He spent the entire afternoon loafing around the house instead of finishing his chores.”
3. What are English synonyms of “loafing”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “loafing”?
Derived from the verb 'loaf,' which appeared in the mid-19th century (c. 1835). It is likely a back-formation from 'loafer,' which may have originated from the German 'Landläufer' (vagabond or land-runner), though some linguists suggest it is related to the Dutch 'loopen' (to run). The association with 'loaf' (bread) is a folk etymology, though it humorously aligns with the idea of someone who is 'bread-fed' and idle.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.