sit around
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle around
Meanings
Sit somewhere doing nothing useful
Why “around”? Wandering without direction. The path loops back without ever arriving.
“Don't sit around doing nothing.”
“They sat around the hostel all afternoon.”
“I can't just sit around all day.”
Don't confuse with
Sit around means sit somewhere doing nothing useful. Sit through means stay until the end of something boring or long.
Test yourself
“Don't sit around doing nothing.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
sit through
A contrast learners often mix up
Stay until the end of something boring or long
dick around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Waste time doing nothing useful (informal, sometimes rude)
fool around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Behave in a silly or playful way; Have casual romantic or sexual relationships
go around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Take a longer path to avoid something; Move in a circular path; Be enough for everyone in a group; Behave in a particular way habitually; (of an illness) be common in a community
hang around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Stay nearby without a purpose; Stay in a place without doing much; Spend time with a person or group regularly
lie around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Be left unused in plain sight
lounge around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Pass time in a relaxed sprawl
mess around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Spend time in a careless or playful way; Treat someone unfairly or unreliably
Practice “sit around” in Sink In
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