to wank around
1
9.9
- phrasal verb
- /wæŋk əˈraʊnd/
- Offensive
:
perder el tiempo
- Stop wanking around and get to work!
Examples
-
If you wank around too much, you'll miss your deadline.
-
Stop wanking around and get on with your homework!
-
They spent the whole afternoon wanking around in the park instead of working.
-
He always wanks around instead of studying.
-
She spent the whole afternoon wanking around instead of finishing her homework.
-
You can't just wank around if you want to pass the exam; you need to study diligently.
-
He was wanking around instead of preparing for the big meeting, which frustrated his colleagues.
Synonyms
888
1.5
Spend time without any activity
728
1.6
To spend time doing things that are not useful instead of doing something more useful
350
1.1
To spend time sitting and doing very little without a clear purpose
111
4.1
To spend time doing playful or unplanned activities
75
9.9
To waste time or act carelessly
46
3.6
Act in a silly, playful way instead of working
43
3.7
To spend time doing nothing useful
6
7.2
To waste time by doing small unimportant things
5
3.8
To relax and do very little
4
7.3
Waste time by acting silly instead of working
3
5.9
To spend time somewhere doing nothing special
3
9.9
To waste time doing unimportant or silly things instead of work
3
7.9
Spend time doing very little or nothing
3
8.4
To spend time doing not important things in a relaxed way
2
7.7
To spend time doing nothing useful
2
9.9
To sit and do nothing instead of working
2
8.6
To spend time doing very little and moving around without plans
2
9.5
To waste time instead of doing the work you need
2
7.9
To waste time and effort without making progress
1
8.7
To spend time doing things that are not important
1
8.7
To waste time doing small unimportant things
1
9.2
To spend time doing small unimportant things instead of working
1
3.4
To spend time lazily doing little or nothing
1
4.4
To spend time doing very little and relaxing
1
7.7
To spend time doing nothing and not working
1
9.9
To waste time by behaving in a silly or unproductive way instead of working
1
9.9
To waste time doing silly or lazy things instead of useful work
1
9.9
To waste time doing unimportant or silly things instead of doing something important
1
6.5
To move around slowly doing small jobs in no hurry
1
9.9
To waste time instead of doing something useful
1
6.5
To spend time doing nothing in a lazy way
To waste time instead of working
To waste time instead of doing something useful
Spend time or money on unimportant things
To spend time doing small unimportant things with no real plan
To waste time doing small, unimportant things
To spend time on things that are not useful
To waste time on small unimportant things
To waste time instead of working
Antonyms
How Wasteful
728
1.6
26
6.5
- Offensive
1
9.9
- UK
1
9.9
- Informal
111
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
wank + around
The verb 'wank' is primarily vulgar slang meaning 'masturbate', and combining that literal sense with 'around' (aimlessly) does not transparently yield 'to waste time' for a learner. The sense 'mess about/waste time' is a colloquial, culture-bound extension and therefore unpredictable for an average B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase wank around may come from the rude verb wank, which means to touch yourself, and the word around, which gives the idea of moving with no real purpose. So the image of someone messing about instead of getting things done is why wank around means 'to waste time' or 'not take something seriously'.