twiddle one's thumbs Synonyms

Strongest:

to play negligently with something, turn, twist, to spend time idly, to rotate lightly or idly, to turn or jounce lightly

With nothing to do but twiddle his thumbs, John felt restless and impatient.
The teacher instructed the class to sit quietly and not twiddle their thumbs during the lesson.
Sarah sat in the waiting room, twiddling her thumbs anxiously while waiting for her interview.
Peter was so bored during the meeting that he couldn't resist twiddling his thumbs.
The children sat on the swings, their hands twiddling idly as they waited for their turn to push.
The receptionist stared at her computer screen, her fingers twiddling nervously.
With no work to be done, the clerk sat at his desk, twiddling his thumbs and daydreaming.
Mary watched the traffic outside her window, twiddling her thumbs with boredom.
The patient waited in the hospital room, twiddling his thumbs and trying to stay calm.
The prisoner sat in his cell, twiddling his thumbs and regretting his actions.

to play negligently with something, turn, twist, to spend time idly, to rotate lightly or idly, to turn or jounce lightly

bum, rest, play, relax, goof (off),kill time, loaf, chill, hack (around), lazy

plug, grind, slave, hustle, travail,work, buckle (down), sweat, labor, toil

With nothing to do but twiddle his thumbs, John felt restless and impatient.

The teacher instructed the class to sit quietly and not twiddle their thumbs during the lesson.

Sarah sat in the waiting room, twiddling her thumbs anxiously while waiting for her interview.

Peter was so bored during the meeting that he couldn't resist twiddling his thumbs.