stand around

stand around

To stand in or around a single location, idly wasting time. Stop standing around and help me push this car off the road! I thought the farm would be fun for the kids, but they all just stood around looking bored.
See also: around, stand
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

stand around

to wait around, standing; to loiter. Please don't stand around. Get busy! Why are all these people standing around doing nothing?
See also: around, stand
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

stand around

v.
To stand idly near a location: That assistant just stands around while other people work. I've been standing around waiting for you. There was nothing to do, so we just stood around.
See also: around, stand
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • go around and around
  • get (someone) around the table
  • get around the table
  • gaze around
  • gallivant around
  • find way around
  • around (one's) ears
  • bomb around
  • around and around
  • crowd around
References in periodicals archive
Tral (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], September 21 ( ANI ): At least one civilian was killed and seven personnel of 180 Bn CRPF injured in a grenade attack followed by firing by unidentified militants near the Tral bus stand around 12:00 a.m.
On many painting projects, before you can stand around and watch the paint dry, you first have to stand around and watch the caulk dry, so you can paint it.
Furthermore, I totally agree about the tourists having the audacity to stand around on the beach in thongs - and it's not just the women.
Their work seemed to go something like this: Get down on your knees for no more that two or three minutes with a scraper, get up and have a cigarette, get on the mobile phone for five minutes, then stand around surveying the scene.
Haydn, who's 5'10", regularly has to keep in line players who stand around seven foot tall or even bigger.
St Patrick's Festival Parade RTE One - Wednesday, 12.25pm THE worst thing about Paddy's Day, besides the drunks and the puke and the feeling that you should be having a much better time than you actually are, is having to stand around in the freezing cold March weather trying to look interested, as an obviously horrified American marching band sidles past.
Well Janice I've got news for you, if you pop into Ravens know le Park any day of the week you will see a fun dog show with dogs running around willy-nilly from morning to late evening while their owners stand around in groups talking.
Anyway, these academic researchers have spent hours (probably months) standing around observing primary school pupils at play, and surprise surprise, they've noticed all the boys tear about burning up the calories they've just taken on board from their school dinners, while all the girls stand around storing their's up whilst watching the mayhem.
"We've got nothing to do now at break times apart from stand around and get bored and cold."
Everything we did took three times as long simply due to the ridiculous amount of time they would stand around and talk about it.
"In rehearsals students stand around because teachers can only work with so many at a time," she says.
They stand around in their hard hats, reflective coats and big boots...
The robber didn't choose to stand around and give her a few more tries; he fled for the door, minus any loot.
I often meet trains, sometimes in the evenings, and to stand around waiting when the train is late, is very tiring.
True, he was kind enough to stand around in the freezing cold and pose for your video, but his strained smile suggests that he was uncomfortable with this attention (or thought you were nuts).