Idle
Play with
Play with verb - To handle thoughtlessly, ignorantly, or mischievously.
Both terms in one sentence
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Fullmetal Alchemist: when they got trapped together in a place where Pride was powerless, he pretended to play with Al's helmet, but his idle banging actually contained messages to his allies.
Source: Banging for Help -
The Idle Race's "I Like My Toys", which deals with a thirty-one year old man's desire to play with his childhood toys instead of looking for a job, much to his parents' chagrin.
Source: Man Child -
Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light has Artyom being a horrendously dangerous person to be around, as he has a tendency to play with his guns (which are bolted together from metal pipes and furniture, and firing 20+ year old surplus ammo) when idle.
Source: Artistic License Gun Safety
Cite this Source
Play with and Idle. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 28, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/idle/play_with
Idle & Play with. N.p., 2016. Web. 28 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/idle/play_with>.
Play with or Idle. 2016. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/idle/play_with.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "idle" and "play with" have occurred on timeline