🦊 A trick ⏳ To pass time

to wile

1 8.2

To spend time in a relaxed and pleasant way

verb
/waɪl/

: pasar el tiempo

I awaken with the sun and build a tree fort home where I wile away the hours protected from the night, rain, snow, and sleet.
wile away
wile away the hours
wile away the time

Examples

My grandfather, he would sit at the kitchen table and just wile away for hours.

Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball (2010)
It's not clever, innovative, or new, but it's a nice way to wile away a half hour at the end of the week.

Blog text (28)
On a sunny afternoon, we decided to wile away the time by the lake, enjoying the gentle breeze and warm sun.
She loves to wile away her weekends reading novels in her cozy chair by the fireplace.
After finishing her homework, Anna would often wile away the evening playing board games with her family.

Synonyms

to whittle away

vsto wile

Informal

6.8

To pass time slowly in a relaxed way doing pleasant simple things

is mainly used as a fixed phrase rather than alone

Antonyms

to hurry

∞ 1.0

To move or act quickly because there is little time

rush

1 4.1

Done quickly under pressure with less care than usual

How Leisurely

to relax

∞ 1.0

to wile

1 8.2

to lounge

12 2.7

to idle

1 3.2

Surface Forms

wile infinitive

wiled past

wiled past participle

wiling present participle

wiles third person singular

Etymology

Wile as a verb in phrases like 'wile away' can be remembered by the similar word while, which means 'time'. So to wile away is to 'pass' time in a pleasant, relaxed way.