1 C1 idiomatic informal
To spend time doing unimportant or trivial things without any useful result.
"Stop footling about and tell me what you actually want to do."
inseparable
footle about
C1 informal inseparable intransitive
To waste time doing trivial or purposeless things; to fuss ineffectually.
In plain English
Do small, silly, pointless things and waste time.
What does "footle about" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
'Footle' may derive from a dialectal word for idle chatter; the phrase suggests wandering about without purpose.
Actually means
Do small, silly, pointless things and waste time.
Usage tip
Chiefly British English and rather old-fashioned. Rarely heard in everyday modern speech but may appear in literature or among older speakers. Conveys mild exasperation.
Words that pair with "footle about"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
time afternoon day office kitchen
How to conjugate "footle about"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
footle about
I/you/we/they
3rd person
footles about
he/she/it
Past simple
footled about
yesterday
Past participle
footled about
have + pp
-ing form
footling about
continuous
Hear "footle about" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "footle about" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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