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Language Foundation

idle

Idle is the state of a session that remains open but has had no user activity for a defined period of time.

In plain English

This means nothing has been done in the session for a set amount of time, even though the session is still open. It describes inactivity within an ongoing session, not one that has already closed.

In context

Here, idle indicates that the session is currently considered inactive because no user activity has occurred for the relevant period.

Situation
Checking sessions, devices, login history, and unusual access activity
What it communicates
marks a session as inactive for the moment

Meaning limits

By itself, idle does not say whether the session will remain open, close, or trigger any further action.

Examples

“The session remained open but was idle after ten minutes without any user activity.”

Core meaning

“With no clicks or typing for several minutes, the open session is considered idle.”

In context

  • inactive Broader Term

    An idle session is inactive, but inactive does not by itself include a defined period with no user activity.

  • active Opposite

    Active contrasts with idle because the session has user activity rather than none during the period.