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stand around

VERB
hang about/hang around/hang out
Synonyms
WEAK
abide affect dally frequent get along with haunt have relations with linger live loiter reside resort roam spend time swell tarry waste time
VERB
laze
Synonyms
STRONGEST
loiter loll saunter
STRONG
bum dally dillydally dream drift evade goldbrick lie loaf lounge malinger piddle relax shirk slack stall stroll trifle vegetate
WEAK
be inactive be indolent be slothful be unoccupied bum around do nothing fool around fritter away hang out kill time knock around let down lounge around not lift a finger pass time sit around slow down take it easy twiddle thumbs waste time while away hours
Antonyms
STRONG
do face meet
VERB
loaf
Synonyms
STRONGEST
laze loll
STRONG
bum dally dillydally dream drift evade goldbrick idle lie loiter lounge malinger piddle relax saunter shirk slack stall stroll trifle vegetate
WEAK
be inactive be indolent be slothful be unoccupied bum around fool around fritter away hang out kill time knock around let down lounge around not lift a finger pass time sit around slow down take it easy twiddle thumbs waste time while away hours
Antonyms
STRONG
do face hurry meet run rush
WEAK
achieve energize labor work hard

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"The police and officials they've sent here just stand around taking photos and making TikToks," she added.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

He can be seen holding his right leg, apparently in pain as multiple federal agents stand around and a crowd gathers.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025

“We stand around and we watch Claude, and we talk about what Claude’s doing and oftentimes Claude’s just being a cute little interesting guy,” said Margaret Vo, Anthropic’s head of user education.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 16, 2025

The pound also rose in reaction to the news, to stand around $1.22.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2025

I had no key and nothing on earth would induce me to stand around until Dad’s friends returned to pityingly let me back in.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

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