at a loose end

prepositional phrase

Idle; bored

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. UKIdle; bored

    Once the schools break up for the holidays, children across the country are at a loose end and instances of kids doing stupid things on the railway become far too common.

    2021 August 25, Stefanie Foster, “Comment: A dumb way to die”, in RAIL, number 938, page 3
Cite this entry
APA

at a loose end. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20a%20loose%20end

MLA

“at a loose end.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20a%20loose%20end. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at a loose end,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20a%20loose%20end.

Source: at a loose end on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.