relating to time

1 (no plural) a period of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years:
Time passes quickly when you're busy.
They have lived here for some time (= for quite a long time).
I haven't got time to help you now – I'm late for school.
It takes a long time to learn a language.

2 (plural times) a certain point in the day or night, that you say in hours and minutes:
'What time is it?' 'It's twenty past six.'
What's the time?
Can you tell me the times of trains to Brighton, please?
It's time to go home.
By the time (= when) we arrived they had eaten all the food.

3 (plural times) a certain moment or occasion:
I've seen this film four times.
Come and visit us next time you're in England.

4 (plural times) an experience; something that you do:
We had a great time on holiday.

5 (plural times) certain years in history:
In Shakespeare's time, not many people could read.

at a time together; on one occasion:
The lift can carry six people at a time.

at one time in the past, but not now:
We were in the same class at one time.

at the time then:
My family moved to London in 1986 – I was four at the time.

at times sometimes:
A teacher's job can be very difficult at times.

for the time being now, but not for long:
You can stay here for the time being, until you find a flat.

from time to time sometimes; not often:
I see my cousin from time to time.

have a good time enjoy yourself:
Have a good time at the party!

in a week's, two months', a year's time after a week, two months, a year:
I'll see you in two weeks' time.

in good time at the right time or early:
I want to get to the station in good time.

in time not late:
If you hurry, you'll arrive in time for the film.

it's about time (informal) words that you use to say that something should be done now:
It's about time you started studying if you want to pass the exam.

on time not late or early:
My train was on time.

spare time, free time time when you do not have to work or study:
What do you do in your spare time?

spend time to use time to do something:
I spend a lot of time playing tennis.

take your time to do something slowly

tell the time to read the time from a clock or watch:
Can your children tell the time?

time after time, time and time again many times

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

time

I. time1 S1 W1 /taɪm/ BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: time, overtime, timer, timing, timelessness; adjective: timeless, timely ≠ untimely; verb: time; adverb: timelessly]
[Language: Old English; Origin: tima]
1. MINUTES/HOURS ETC [uncountable] the thing that is measured in minutes, hours, days, years etc using clocks:
Einstein changed the way we think about space and time.
close relationships established over a long period of time
Customers have only a limited amount of time to examine the goods.
time passes/goes by
Their marriage got better as time went by.
2. ON A CLOCK [singular] a particular point in time shown on a clock in hours and minutes:
‘What time is it?’ ‘It’s about two thirty.’
What time are you going out tonight?
what time do you make it? British English what time do you have? American English (=used to ask someone with a watch what time it is)
have you got the time? British English do you have the time? American English (=used to ask someone if they know what time it is)
tell the time British English tell time American English (=be able to understand a clock)
Robin’s just learning to tell the time.
look at the time (=used when you realize that it is later than you thought it was)
Oh no. Look at the time. I’ll be late.
is that the time? (=used when you suddenly realize what the time is)
Is that the time? I must go.
this time tomorrow/last week etc
By this time tomorrow I’ll know whether I’ve got the job.
3. OCCASION [countable] an occasion when something happens or someone does something:
That was the only time we disagreed.
Do you remember the time I hit Tom Benson?
Mary had seen the film many times.
(for) the first/second/last etc time
It was the first time that he had lost a game.
Gerry had just had back surgery for the third time in two years.
(the) next time/(the) last time/this time
Why don’t you drop in for a drink next time you’re over this way?
The last time (=the most recent time) I saw Jonathan was Thursday evening.
The freezing weather did not return until February but this time we were prepared.
the first/second/next/last etc time round (=the first, second etc time something happens)
I missed their concert the first time round so I’m going next week.
every/each time
I meet up with Julie every time I go to Washington.
how many times ...?
How many times did you take your driving test?
How many times have I told you not to wander off like that? (=I have told you many times)
One time (=once) I went to a garage sale and bought fifteen books.
4. POINT WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS [uncountable and countable] the particular minute, hour, day etc when something happens or should happen
at the time of something
She was three months pregnant at the time of Stephen’s death.
at some/any/that time
He is performing as well as at any time in his career.
The UK has 500,000 stray dogs on its streets at any one time (=at any particular time).
at a/the time when ...
At the time when this scheme was introduced, it was recognised that there might be problems.
by the time ...
The phone was ringing but by the time she got indoors, it had stopped.
it’s time to do something
Rosie – it’s time to get up.
it’s time for something
Come on, it’s time for bed.
He glanced at his watch. ‘It’s time for me to go.’
it’s time somebody did something
It’s time I fed the dog.
Now is the right time for us to move to London.
a good/bad time
This might be a good time to start planning the new garden.
not the time/hardly the time
Now is not the time to annoy Peter.
there’s no time like the present (=used to say that now is a good time to do something)
‘When do you want to meet?’ ‘Well, there’s no time like the present.’
dinner/lunch/tea etc time
It’s nearly dinner time.
opening/closing time (=the time when a shop, bar etc opens or closes)
We empty the till each night at closing time.
arrival/departure time (=the time when a train, plane etc arrives or leaves)
Our estimated arrival time is 2:30 pm.
time of day/year
England is so lovely at this time of year.
We’ll sort that out when the time comes (=when it becomes necessary).
5. PERIOD OF TIME [singular, uncountable] a period of time during which something happens or someone does something:
Dustin wanted to spend as much time as possible with his family.
a long/short/limited time
I first met Jennifer a long time ago.
They stopped for a short time to rest the horses.
Andy and Tom talked for some time (=for a fairly short period).
Alison was married, for a time (=for a fairly short period), to a comedian.
Martin disliked being away from his family for any length of time (=for more than just a short period).
It took her a long time to make a decision.
Learning a language isn’t easy – it takes time (=takes a long period of time).
take time to do something (=deliberately spend time doing something)
While in New York he took time to visit some friends.
travel time
I wanted to make better use of my travel time.
6. AVAILABLE TIME [uncountable] an amount of time that is available for you to do something:
I’ll visit him if I have time.
Molly would like to do some diving if there is time.
have time for something
She realized she would have time for a coffee before her train left.
We don’t have to rush. We have all the time in the world (=have plenty of time).
June had little time to spare (=available time) for making her own clothes.
free/spare time (=time when you are not working)
He writes poetry in his spare time.
Being prepared for meetings will save time.
I don’t want to waste time arguing.
She spent precious time (=valuable and important time) looking for a telephone.
I seem to spend most of my time on the phone.
McDuff passed the time writing letters (=wrote letters because he had nothing else to do).
have time on your hands/time to kill (=not have enough to do)
Now the children have left home, she has too much time on her hands.
make/find time (for something/to do something) (=plan so that you have time available for something)
Make time to talk to your children.
Book your ticket soon, as time is running out.
time’s up (=used to say that it is the end of the time allowed for something such as a competition or examination)
we’re out of time (=used on radio and television programmes to say that there is no more time available on the programme)
7. all the time (also the whole time) continuously or very often:
I keep practising and I’m improving all the time.
He worries about her the whole time.
8. most of the time very often or almost always:
I can speak German but we speak English most of the time.
9. half the time if something happens half the time, especially something annoying, it happens quite often:
Half the time you don’t even notice what I’m wearing.
10. at times sometimes:
Life is hard at times.
11. from time to time sometimes, but not regularly or very often:
These food safety scares happen from time to time.
12. time after time/time and time again often, over a long period:
The police were catching the same kids stealing time after time.
13. at all times always – used especially in official rules and statements:
Children must be supervised at all times while in the park.
Parents are welcome at all times.
14. nine times out of ten/99 times out of 100 etc used to say that something is almost always true or almost always happens:
Nine times out of ten she’s right.
15. at the time at a particular moment or period in the past when something happened, especially when the situation is very different now:
I was about ten or eleven at the time.
16. at one time at a time in the past but not now:
At one time she wanted to be a nurse, but the thought of working at night put her off.
17. at this time American English at this particular moment:
The President said his actions were ‘the right ones at this time’.
18. at no time used to say strongly that something never happened or should never happen
at no time did/was etc
At no time did anyone involved speak to the press.
At no time was the company informed.
19. for the time being for a short period of time from now, but not permanently:
Now, for the time being, she is living with her father in Tijuana.
20. in 10 days’/five years’/a few minutes’ etc time ten days, five years etc from now:
He has an appointment with the doctor in two days’ time.
21. in time
a) before the time by which it is necessary for something to be done:
Will you be able to finish it in time?
in time to do something
They ran all the way to the corner just in time to see the bus disappearing up the street.
in time for
The painting was successfully repaired in time for the opening of the exhibition.
in good time/in plenty of time (=a long time before the necessary time)
We arrived at the concert hall in good time.
b) after a certain period of time, especially after a gradual process of change and development:
He wants to see changes in the company and I am sure he will, in time.
22. with time to spare sooner than expected or necessary:
We should arrive in New York with time to spare.
23. over time if something happens over time, it happens gradually during a long period:
The research project will be assessed over time.
Students are encouraged to consider the way language changes over time.
24. with time/given time after a period of time:
These symptoms will start to get better with time.
I would have thought of the answer, given time.
25. take your time
a) to do something slowly or carefully without hurrying
take your time doing something
Marie took her time cutting my hair and did it really well.
take your time over
He had planned to take his time over the journey.
b) to do something more slowly than seems reasonable:
You’re taking your time with the lab tests. We need the results now.
26. five/ten/many etc times ... used to say how much greater, more etc one thing is than another:
Sound travels four times faster in water than in air.
There were three times as many girls as boys.
27. ... at a time
a) if someone deals with things one, three, ten etc at a time, they deal with them separately or in groups of three, ten etc:
If you raise your hands, I’ll answer questions one at a time.
Frank took the stairs two at a time.
b) if something happens for hours, days, months etc at a time, it continues for several hours, months etc:
Because of his work, he’s often away for weeks at a time.
28. on time at the correct time or the time that was arranged:
Jack was worried about whether he’d be able to get there on time.
right/bang/dead on time (=at exactly the right time)
The plane arrived right on time.
29. ahead of/behind time earlier or later than the time when something happens, should be done etc:
Prepare what you plan to say in the meeting ahead of time (=before the meeting).
The train left twenty minutes behind time (=after it should have left).
30. it’s about time (also it’s high time) spoken used to say strongly that you think something should happen soon or should already have happened:
It’s about time our team won.
It’s high time we had a party.
31. not before time/and about time (too) spoken used to say that something should have happened sooner:
Philip is going to be punished and not before time.
32. the best/biggest etc ... of all time the best, biggest etc of a particular kind of person or thing that has ever existed:
He is the greatest athlete of all time, in my opinion.
33. in no time (at all)/in next to no time very quickly or soon:
We’ll be there in no time.
34. any time (now) very soon:
‘When is she due back?’ ‘Any time now.’
35. it’s (only/just) a matter/question of time used to say that something will definitely happen at some time in the future, but you do not know when:
I’ll find the key eventually. It’s just a question of time.
It’s only a matter of time before we catch the person who killed her.
36. (only) time will tell used to say that at some time in the future it will become clear whether or not something is true, right etc:
Only time will tell if the treatment has been successful.
37. PERIOD IN HISTORY [countable] (also times [plural]) a particular period in history:
Mankind has used the horse since ancient times.
In earlier times, servants would use the bare wooden stairs at the back of the house.
at/in/during etc the time of something
He lived at the time of the Napoleonic wars.
our time(s) (=the present period in history)
Air pollution has become one of the most significant health problems of our time.
38. behind the times old-fashioned:
Our equipment is a bit behind the times.
39. move/change/keep up with the times to change when other things in society, business etc change:
We’ve got to move with the times.
40. ahead of your/its time having or using the most advanced ideas, methods, designs, technology etc:
Coleridge was far ahead of his time in his understanding of the unconscious.
41. PLEASANT/UNPLEASANT [countable] a good time, bad time, difficult time etc is a period or occasion when you have good, bad, difficult etc experiences:
This was the happiest time of her life.
good/bad/hard etc times
They had their happy times, but they had their hard times too.
have a good/great/lovely etc time (=enjoy yourself)
Did you have a good time at the party?
Julie went to a wedding at the weekend and had the time of her life (=enjoyed herself very much).
42. sb’s time in/at/as something the period of time when you were living in a particular place, working for a particular company etc:
In her time at the United Nations she was considered a tough negotiator.
43. before your time
a) before you were born or before you started working or living somewhere:
They say he was a great actor but that was before my time.
b) if you do something, especially get old, before your time, you do it before the time when most people usually do it in their lives:
He seemed to grow into an old man before his time.
44. IN PART OF THE WORLD [uncountable] the way of referring to points in time in one particular part of the world:
Eastern Standard Time
British Summer Time
The flight to Boston arrives at 1.15 pm local time.
45. TIME TAKEN [countable]
a) the amount of time taken by a competitor in a race:
The Olympic medallist’s time in the 200 metres final was 2 minutes 11.56 seconds.
b) journey time the amount of time a journey takes:
The journey time to London is approximately four hours.
46. SPORTS [uncountable] British English the end of the normal period of playing time in a sports game, especially football SYN full time:
Mason’s goal 13 minutes from time earned his team a place in the finals.
47. MUSIC [uncountable] the number of beats in each ↑bar in a piece of music:
Waltzes are usually in three-four time.
48. in time to/with something if you do something in time to a piece of music, you do it using the same ↑rhythm and speed as the music:
Gloria was tapping her feet in time to the music.
49. keep/beat time to show the ↑rhythm and speed that a piece of music should be played at to a group of musicians, using your hands
50. keep perfect/good etc time if a clock keeps good time, it always shows the correct time
51. PRISON do time to spend a period of time in prison:
Paul was doing time for burglary.
52. pass the time of day (with somebody) to say hello to someone and have a short talk with them:
People like to pass the time of day with neighbours.
53. time was (when) used to say that there was a time when you used to be able to do something, when something used to happen etc:
Time was when no one had television.
54. there’s no time to lose used to say that you must do something quickly because there is very little time
55. make good time if you make good time on a journey, you travel quickly, especially more quickly than you expected:
We made good time and were at the hotel by lunchtime.
56. race/work/battle against time to try to finish or achieve something even though you have very little time:
Mark was racing against time to complete the work by Friday.
57. time is money used to say that wasting time or delaying something costs money
58. time is on your side used to say that someone is young enough to be able to wait before doing something or until something happens
59. time is a great healer/heals all wounds used to say that someone will become less upset as time passes
60. time flies used to say that time seems to pass very quickly:
Time flies when you’re having fun.
61. in your own time if you study or do work in your own time, you do it outside normal school or work hours:
Nurses in training study in their own time.
62. in your own (good) time informal when you are ready:
Bobby will tell them about it in his own good time.
63. all in good time used to tell someone to be patient because something they are waiting for will certainly happen after a period of time, and probably quite soon:
‘I’d love to see it.’ ‘All in good time.’
64. have a lot of/no time for somebody/something informal if you have a lot of time for someone or something, you like or admire them:
He has no time for (=does not like) people who talk too much.
65. time of life used to refer to someone’s age:
At my time of life, you can’t take too many shocks like that.
66. your time used in certain expressions to refer to the period when you are alive
in your time
I’ve met some rude women in my time but she’s the worst.
He was many things in his time – musician, pilot, cattle-rancher, industrialist, journalist.
If I had my time over again (=lived my life again), I’d probably do exactly the same things.
67. time of the month the time when a woman has her ↑period:
It’s that time of the month.
68. time out of mind literary a very long time, or a very long time ago
⇨ big time1, full-time, half-time, part-time, real-time, ⇨ at the best of times at best3(11), ⇨ time is of the essence at essence(4), ⇨ bide your time at bide(1), ⇨ in the fullness of time at fullness(1), ⇨ give somebody/something time at give1(21), ⇨ kill time at kill1(8), ⇨ lose time at lose(8), ⇨ mark time at mark2(11), ⇨ move with the times at move1(17), ⇨ in the nick of time at nick1(1), ⇨ for old times’ sake at old(19), ⇨ once upon a time at once1(14), ⇨ play for time at play1(18), ⇨ the time is ripe at ripe(3), ⇨ at the same time at same1(3), ⇨ sign of the times at sign1(9), ⇨ a stitch in time (saves nine) at stitch1(8), ⇨ have a whale of a time at whale1(2)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1, 5 & 6)
■ verbs
▪ time passes/goes by As time passed, she thought less and less about her family back home.
▪ take time (=require a long time to do) Learning a new skill takes time.
▪ have time (=have enough time to do something) I didn’t do it because I didn’t have time.
▪ have/get time to do something We never get time to do anything together.
▪ spend time I’m going to spend some time with my family.
▪ pass the time (=spend a period of time doing something) The prisoners pass the time reading, or writing letters.
▪ waste time You are wasting your time arguing with him.
▪ save time I used a ready-made sauce in order to save time.
▪ make/find time to do something (=do something, even though you are busy) You need to make time to do things you enjoy.
▪ kill time (=spend time doing something unimportant while waiting for something) He was just killing time before his appointment.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + time
▪ a long time I haven’t seen him for a long time.
▪ a short time A short time later, she heard him drive away.
▪ a limited time (=a short period of time) The offer is available for a limited time only.
▪ some time (=quite a long period of time) I’ve known the truth for some time.
▪ free/spare time He spends all this free time watching television.
▪ precious/valuable time I’m sorry if I’m taking up your valuable time.
▪ family time As the children get older, evenings become valuable family time.
▪ journey/travel time (=the time it takes to travel somewhere) By train, the journey time to London is about two hours.
■ phrases
▪ a period of time Over a period of time the students develop their own ideas.
▪ an amount/a length of time Customers only have a limited amount of time to inspect the goods.
▪ there is time to do something (=there is enough time to do it) There was no time to discuss it further.
▪ it takes time to do something It took them a long time to struggle through the crowds.
▪ as time goes on (=as time passes) I understood him better as time went on.
▪ time is running out (=there is not much time left to do something) Doctors are looking for a suitable donor, but time is running out.
▪ time’s up (=used to say that the time allowed for something has finished) Time’s up, class. Put your pens down and hand your papers to the front.
▪ have time to kill (=have time to do something unimportant while waiting for something) I still had some time to kill, so I thought I’d make a couple of phone calls.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say 'a small time'. Say a short time.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ a time when something happens
▪ time a time when something happens or when you should do something: The last time I saw her she was in high school. | It’s time for you to go to bed. | The best time to visit Scotland is in late May.
▪ occasion a time when something happens. Occasion is more formal than time: They have been seen together on several occasions. | The last occasion the two teams met, the Giants won easily.
▪ moment a particular point in time when something happens: At that moment (=at exactly that time), the door bell rang. | The next moment she was gone.
▪ point a particular time during a longer period of time: At one point during the play she completely forgot her lines. | the lowest point of the holiday
■ a long time
▪ a long time a long period of time, especially many months or years: They’ve been married a long time – nearly 30 years. | The house has been empty for a long time.
▪ all day/night/year/week continuing for the whole day, night, year etc – used especially to emphasize that it is a long time: It’s going to take me all night to finish this essay. | He’s in London all week, and only comes home at the weekends.
▪ hours/weeks/months/years many hours, weeks, months, or years – used to emphasize that it is a long time, or much longer than it should be: It’s years since I rode a bike. | My wife had to wait months for a hospital appointment.
▪ ages especially British English informal a very long time: I’ve been standing here for ages. | The software takes ages to load. | They’ve lived there for ages.
▪ a while (also some time) a fairly long time: I hadn’t seen Paul for a while, and he’d completely changed. | It may be some time before the company starts to make a profit.
▪ the longest time American English a very long time: For the longest time, my daughter wasn’t reading at all. | It took me the longest time to figure out how to work the sunroof in this car.
■ a short time
▪ a minute/moment a short time: I’ll call you back in a minute. | Can I show you something? It will only take a moment.
▪ a second a very short time: I’ll be ready in a second. | Just a second – I can’t find my wallet.
▪ an instant written a very short time: In an instant, they were gone. | He paused for an instant.
▪ a little while/a short while a short period of time, especially a few hours, days, or weeks: I’ve been to Tokyo, but I was only there for a short while. | I saw him a little while ago.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

time

time [time times timed timing] noun, verb [taɪm] [taɪm]

noun

see also times

MINUTES/HOURS/YEARS, ETC.
1. uncountable what is measured in minutes, hours, days, etc
• The changing seasons mark the passing of time.
• A visit to the museum will take you back in time to the 1930s.
• time and space
• As time went by we saw less and less of each other.
• Perceptions change over time (= as time passes).
• They say that time heals all wounds.

see also Father Time

2. uncountable the time shown on a clock in minutes and hours
• What time is it/What's the time?
• Do you have the time?
• (BrE) What time do you make it?
• (NAmE) What time do you have?
• The time is now half past ten.
• (BrE) Can she tell the time yet (= say what time it is by looking at a clock)?
• (NAmE) Can she tell time yet?
• My watch keeps perfect time (= always shows the correct time).
• Look at the time! We'll be late.

• This time tomorrow I'll be in Canada.

3. uncountable the time measured in a particular part of the world
• Greenwich Mean Time
• 6 o'clock local time

see also standard time, summer time

4. uncountable, countable the time when sth happens or when sth should happen
• What time do you finish work?
• The baby loves bath time.
• ~ (to do sth) I think it's time to go to bed.
• This is hardly the time to discuss politics.
• ~ (for sth) It's time for lunch.
• ~ (that)… It's time the kids were in bed.
• By the time you get there the meeting will be over.
• A computer screen shows arrival and departure times.
• The train arrived right on time (= at exactly the correct time).
• You'll feel differently about it when the time comes (= when it happens).
• Have I called at a bad time? Shall I call back later?
• The promotion came at just the right time for me.
• We stock six different beers at any one time.

see also any time, closing time, drive time, night-time, opening time

PERIOD

5. uncountable ~ (to do sth) an amount of time; the amount of time available to work, rest, etc
• Allow plenty of time to get to the airport.
• I can probably make the time to see them.
• It takes time to make changes in the law.
• We have no time to lose (= we must hurry).
• We got to the airport with time to spare.
• He spends most of his time working.
• She doesn't have much free/spare time.
• Sorry, I can't spare the time.
• What a waste of time!
• I didn't finish the test— I ran out of time.
• Time's up — have you worked out the answer yet?
• He never takes any time off (= time spent not working).
• Jane's worked here for some time (= for a fairly long period of time).
• Do it now please— not in three hours' time (= three hours from now).
• The journey time is two hours.
• I don't want to take up too much of your precious time.
• What's the hurry? We have all the time in the world.

see also response time

6. a time singular a period of time, either long or short, during which you do sth or sth happens
• His injuries will take a long time to heal.
• Did you have to wait a long time to see the doctor?
• I lived in Egypt for a time.
• The early morning is the best time of day.
• Her parents died a long time ago.
• At one time (= at a period of time in the past) Emily was my best friend.

• Mr Curtis was the manager in my time (= when I was working there).

7. uncountable, plural a period of history connected with particular events or experiences in people's lives
• The movie is set at the time of the Russian Revolution.
• in ancient times
• the violent times we live in (= the present period of history)
• the politician who promised ‘peace in our time’
• Times are hard for the unemployed.
• Times have changed since Grandma was young.

see also old-time

OCCASION/EVENT

8. countable an occasion when you do sth or when sth happens
• Every time I hear that song I feel happy.
• It doesn't matter if you don't win every time (= every time you play).
• Next time you're here let's have lunch together.
• He failed his driving test three times.
• He's determined to pass this time.
• When was the last time you saw her?
• How many times (= how often) do I have to tell you not to do that?
• (especially NAmE) I remember one time (= once) we had to abandon our car in the snow.
• (formal) At no time did I give my consent to the plan. To talk about the first or the last time you do sth, use the first/last time (that) I…
• This is the first time (that) I've been to London.
• This is the first time for me to go to London.

• That was the last time (that) I saw her.

9. countable an event or occasion that you experience in a particular way
• Did you have a good time in Spain?
• I had an awful time in the hospital.

• Mike and I shared some really good times.

FOR RACE

10. countable, uncountable how long sb takes to run a race or complete an event
• The winner's time was 11.6 seconds.
• She completed the 500 metres in record time (= faster than any previous runner).

• one of the fastest times ever

IN MUSIC

11. uncountable the number of beats in a bar of music
• This piece is in four-four time.
• a slow waltz time

• The conductor beat time with a baton.

12. uncountable the correct speed and rhythm of a piece of music
• Try and dance in time to the music (= with the same speed and rhythm).
• Clap your hands to keep time (= sing or move with the correct speed and rhythm).
• to play in/out of time (= follow/not follow the correct speed and rhythm)
• He always plays in perfect time.
see also big time, small-time
more at beat time (to sth) at beat v., bide your time at bide, be (living) on borrowed time at borrow, buy time at buy v., call time (on sth) at call v., in the course of time at course n., take it/things one day at a time at day, a devil of a job/time at devil, have an easy time of it at easy adj., there's a first time for everything at first det., from that day/time forth at forth, in the fullness of time at fullness, gain time at gain v., give me sth/sb (any day/time) at give v., give sb a hard time at hard adj., have a high old time at high adj., kill time at kill v., long time no see at long adj., make up for lost time at lost adj., better luck next time at luck n., mark time at mark v., it's just/only a matter of time at matter n., move with the times at move v., in the nick of time at nick n., ninety-nine times out of hundred at ninety, for old times' sake at old, once upon a time at once adv., pass the time of day at pass v., a race against time/the clock at race n., a sign of the times at sign n., a stitch in time (saves nine) at stitch n., in your own sweet time/way at sweet adj., have a thin time (of it) at thin adj., third time lucky at third, have a whale of a time at whale
Word Origin:
Old English tīma, of Germanic origin; related to tide, which it superseded in temporal senses. The earliest of the current verb senses (dating from late Middle English) is ‘do (something) at a particular moment’.
Synonyms:
rest
break • respite • time out • breathing space
These are all words for a short period of time spent relaxing.
rest • a period of relaxing, sleeping or doing nothing after a period of activity: ▪ We stopped for a well-earned rest.
break • a short period of time when you stop what you are doing and rest or eat: ▪ Let's ▪ take a break ▪.
In British English break is a period of time between lessons at school. The North American English word is recess.
respite • a short break from sth difficult or unpleasant: ▪ The drug brought a brief respite from the pain.
time out • (informal, especially NAmE) time for resting or relaxing away from your usual work or studies: ▪ Take time out to relax by the pool.
breathing space • a short rest in the middle of a period of mental or physical effort: ▪ This delay gives the party a breathing space in which to sort out its policies.
(a) rest/break/respite/time out from sth
to have/take (a) rest/break/time out
to give sb (a) rest/break/respite/breathing space
Example Bank:
• A great deal of time has been spent on developing this software.
• As time went by we saw less and less of each other.
• At one time Mary was my best friend.
• At the time of writing, a ceasefire is under discussion.
• By the time you get there the meeting will be over.
• Can he tell the time yet?
• Check the programme ahead of time.
• De Niro makes the most of limited screen time.
• Do you have time for a chat?
• Do you need more time?
• Every time I hear that song I feel happy.
• Finishing the book was a race against time.
• For the first time in history, more than half of us now live in cities.
• Get to the airport in good time.
• Have you lived abroad for any length of time?
• He can be rather moody at times.
• He completed the course in record time.
• He lived at the time of the Civil War.
• He put all his time into the show.
• He surfs the Internet for hours at a time.
• He'd been thinking about quitting his job for quite some time.
• Her parents died a long time ago.
• Her skills improved with time.
• Hot water is available at all times.
• How time flies!
• I can certainly do the job if you give me time.
• I can never find time to write letters.
• I can remember the first time I met her.
• I didn't finish the test— I ran out of time.
• I had no time to think.
• I hope to spend more time with my family.
• I lived there for a time.
• I told her not to do it for the umpteenth time.
• I'll be back in ten minutes' time.
• I'm determined to pass this time.
• I've told you countless times.
• Is this an appropriate time to discuss my salary?
• It helps to pass the time.
• It took her a long time to read the report.
• It was a fun time for us girls.
• It was only a matter of time before someone tried to kill him.
• It's a sign of the times when sports stars earn more than movie stars.
• It's time for a break.
• Kelly played guitar and everyone clapped their hands in time.
• Let me just check the time.
• Mr Curtis was the manager in my time.
• My watch keeps good time.
• Next time you're here let's have lunch together.
• Not knowing what to do, she played for time by going to the bathroom.
• Perceptions change over time.
• She clocked up one of the fastest times of the year.
• She devotes all her spare time to gardening.
• She spends much of her time reading.
• She'll have gone by the time we get there.
• Sorry, your time is up.
• Take your time.
• The Beatles were before my time.
• The attacks were launched at 9 p.m. local time.
• The chairlift can take four people at a time.
• The changing seasons mark the passing of time.
• The coach plans to give younger players more playing time.
• The leaves start to turn red at this time of (the) year.
• The letter was in my pocket all the time.
• The origins of this custom are lost in the mists of time.
• The plane took off an hour behind time.
• The play takes us back in time to the 1940s.
• The time is ripe for revolution.
• The trains are rarely on time.
• The world exists in time and space.
• There are extra buses at peak times.
• There is a long lead time between order and delivery of the product.
• There's less traffic at this time of day.
• They didn't allow much time for discussion.
• They were clapping in time to the music.
• This doesn't leave much time for us to get ready.
• This time tomorrow I'll be in Canada.
• This would be a bad time to tell her.
• Time drags in this job.
• Time heals all wounds.
• Time was when we never needed to lock our house at night.
• Times have changed since Grandma was young.
• We got home in time to see the end of the game.
• We had a great time at the party.
• We had everything worked out ahead of time.
• We had to wait some time before the bus arrived.
• We have no time to lose.
• We need to fix a time for the next meeting.
• We will discuss this matter later, if time permits.
• We'll have to bide our time until the rain stops.
• We're wasting precious time.
• What a waste of time!
• What are you doing out of bed at this time of night?
• What time do you make it?
• Where does the time go?
• You would save time with a dishwasher.
• You'll feel differently about it when the time comes.
• You'll get used to the work in time.
• Your time will come.
• in times of trouble
• measures to reduce waiting times
• the greatest footballer of all time
• the movie's two-hour running time
• three times out of ten
• travel through time
• two hours behind Central European Time
• At no time did I give my consent to the plan.
• Clap your hands to keep time.
• Have I called at a bad time?
• He failed the test three times.
• How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?
• I remember one time we had to abandon our car in the snow.
• I think it's time to go to bed.
• It's time the kids were in bed.
• She always plays in/out of time.
• The Industrial Revolution took place in Victorian times.
• The early morning is the best time of day.
• The rise in gun sales is an alarming sign of the times.
• The train arrived right on time.
• The violence of our times is nothing new.
• There were times— sometimes whole weeks— when I thought it wasn't worth trying to complete the project.
• Try and dance in time to the music.
Idioms: about time ▪ against time ▪ ahead of time ▪ ahead of your time ▪ all the time ▪ at a time ▪ at all times ▪ at my/your/his time of life ▪ at the best of times ▪ at the same time ▪ at times ▪ before my/your/his time ▪ behind the times ▪ do time ▪ every time ▪ for the time being ▪ from time to time ▪ have a lot of time for somebody ▪ have no time for somebody ▪ have the time of your life ▪ have time on your hands ▪ have time to kill ▪ in good time ▪ in no time ▪ in time ▪ in your own time ▪ it's high time ▪ keep up with the times ▪ make good time ▪ many a time ▪ many's the time … ▪ next/first/second time round ▪ nine times out of ten ▪ ninety-nine times out of a hundred ▪ no time like the present ▪ not before time ▪ not give somebody the time of day ▪ not have much time for somebody ▪ of all time ▪ only time will tell ▪ take time out ▪ take your time ▪ take your time to do something sth ▪ time after time ▪ time and a half ▪ time and again ▪ time flies ▪ time is money ▪ time is on your side ▪ time was … ▪ time will tell ▪ whole time

Derived: time out ▪ time sthout

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

time / taɪm / noun (MINUTES/DAYS/YEARS)

A2 [ U ] the part of existence that is measured in minutes, days, years, etc., or this process considered as a whole:

He wants to spend more time with his family.

Time passes so quickly when you're enjoying yourself.

She grew more and more fascinated by the subject as time went on/by .

The curtains have faded over/with time (= as years have gone past) .

You'll forget her in time (= in the future) .

Over the course of time (= as years have gone past) , holes have formed in the rock.

When Paula was ill, I took her some magazines to help her pass the time.

If you'd taken more time with/over (= spent more time doing) this essay, you could have done it much better.

It takes a long time (= many hours are needed) to get from London to Sydney.

We'd save time on our journey (= it would be quicker) if we went by train.

I only worked there for a short period of time.

The kitchen clock is gaining/losing time (= is going fast/slow) .

My watch has never kept very good time (= been correct) .

all the time A2 continuously:

I wish you'd stop criticizing me all the time.

in no time C1 ( also in next to no time ) very quickly or very soon:

The children ate their dinner in no time.

We'll be home in next to no time.

no time to lose If you say there is or that you have no time to lose, it means that you must do quickly whatever it is that you want to do:

Come on, there's no time to lose, we must get home before John finds out.

for all time literary always:

I will love you for all time.

of all time that has ever lived or existed:

She's been called the greatest singer of all time.

time / taɪm / noun (SYSTEM)

C1 [ U ] the system of recording hours used in different parts of the world:

Greenwich Mean Time

daylight saving time

time / taɪm / noun (TIME AVAILABLE)

an amount of time that you have available to do something:

I don't know how you find time to do all the things you do.

I thought we'd give her a bit more time (= allow her more time) to get the job done.

I'd like to visit them all but time is short (= there is little time left) .

have time B1 If you have got time, you have enough time to do something:

We haven't got much time before the train leaves.

Have you got time for a quick drink after work?

I'd like to learn to sail, but I haven't the time (= I am too busy) .

[ + to infinitive ] I haven't got time to go to the shops today.

waste time A2 to not make good use of the hours, etc. that you have available:

If you'd got on with your work instead of wasting time chatting, you'd be finished by now.

run out of time B1 to not have enough hours, etc. available to finish something you are trying to do:

She ran out of time and didn't finish the last question.

be (all) out of time to not have enough minutes, etc. available:

I'd like to continue this discussion but we're all out of time.

time's up informal there are no more minutes, hours, etc. available:

OK, everyone, time's up for this week.

time / taɪm / noun (PERIOD)

A2 [ S or U ] a particular period of time for which something has been happening, or that is needed for something:

I enjoyed my course at first, but after a time I got bored with it.

They stayed with us for a short time.

That was the best restaurant I've been to for/in a long time (= a long period has gone past since I went to such a good restaurant) .

It was some time ago that I last heard from her.

We're going on holiday in two weeks' time (= after two weeks have passed) .

During her time (= while she was) in office, the prime minister introduced a large number of changes.

What do you like doing in your spare/free time (= when you are not working) ?

have/take time off to stop work, in order to do something else:

I asked my boss if I could have some time off ( from work) to go to the dentist.

for a time for a short period:

For a time, we all thought that Sheila and Frank would get married.

for some time B2 for a fairly long period of time:

I've been doing yoga for some time.

for the time being C1 for a limited period:

Leave the ironing for the time being - I'll do it later.

time / taɪm / noun (PARTICULAR POINT)

A1 [ C or S or U ] a particular point in the day, as expressed in hours and minutes or shown on a clock, or a particular point in time:

"What's the time?" "It's ten o'clock."

What time is it?

What time do you finish work?

Have you got the time? (= Do you know what time it is?)

He's teaching his daughter to tell the time (= to recognize what time it is by looking at a clock) .

Did you find out the times of the trains to London?

The estimated time of arrival/departure of this flight is 11.15.

Oh dear, is that the (right) time? (= is it really so late?)

We always have dinner at the same time every day.

I was exhausted by the time (= when) I got home.

When would be a good time for me to call you?

"What would be the best time of day for us to deliver the table?" "Oh, any time will be OK."

Today's temperatures will be normal for the time of year (= will be as they are expected to be in this season) .

Just think, this time (= at the same particular point during) next week we'll be in Mauritius.

We regret that at the present time ( US also at this time ) we are unable to supply the goods you ordered.

The time is fast drawing near/approaching (= it will soon be the time) when we'll have to make a decision.

at the time A2 at the particular point when something was thought of or done:

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

at the same time B1 If two things happen at the same time, they happen together:

We arrived at the same time.

at your time of life at a person's present age:

At his time of life, he ought to be taking things easy.

time / taɪm / noun (SUITABLE POINT)

B1 [ S or U ] a particular point of the day, year, etc. that is suitable for a particular activity, or at which something is expected to happen:

holiday time

party time

Put your toys away now - it's time for bed.

It's time (that) I was leaving.

[ + to infinitive ] Is it time to go home yet?

This is not the time (= not a suitable moment) to be thinking about buying a house.

This is no time (= not a suitable moment) to change your mind.

I feel that the time has come (= now is a suitable moment) for me to move on.

The repairs to the road were finished two weeks ahead of time (= sooner than was expected) .

Why is it that the trains never run on time (= make their journeys in the expected number of hours, etc.) ?

She's grown old before her time (= sooner than she might have been expected to have done) .

in time B1 early enough:

I got home just in time - it's starting to rain.

If we don't hurry up, we won't be in time to catch the train.

We arrived in good time (= we arrived early) for the start of the match.

(bang/dead/right) on time informal happening or done at the particular moment that it was expected to happen or be done:

The bus arrived dead on time.

ahead of time mainly US earlier than a particular moment:

Let's meet for lunch. I'll call you ahead of time to fix up exactly when and where.

about time C1 ( also high time ) informal If it is about time/high time that someone did something, it should have been done sooner or a long time ago:

It's about time (that) the school improved its meals service.

It is high time for the critics to open their minds to a new approach.

about time (too) ( also not before time ) informal said when someone does something or something happens that you think should have been done or have happened much sooner:

"So Ben's finally found a job." "Yes, and about time too."

time / taɪm / noun (OCCASION)

A2 [ C ] an occasion when somnething happens, or the experience connected with it:

The last time we went to Paris, it rained every day.

Every time/ Each time I ask you to do something you say you're busy.

They go swimming three or four times a week.

There are times when I wish I didn't live where I do.

The four-times ( US four-time) champion (= the champion on four occasions in the past) was defeated in the second round.

If I'd known at the time (= then) that she was his former wife, I'd never have said what I did.

Sometimes I enjoy my English lessons, but at other times I find them really boring.

For the umpteenth/hundredth/thousandth time, (= I've told you on many occasions to) stop hitting your sister.

Did you have a bad/good time (= an unpleasant/enjoyable experience) at the conference?

She had an easy/hard time of it (= a comfortable/uncomfortable experience) with the birth of her second baby.

from time to time B2 sometimes, but not often:

From time to time I still think of her.

time after time C2 again and again:

Time after time she gets involved in relationships with unsuitable men.

time and (time) again very often:

I've told you time and time again - look before you cross the road.

at all times continuously:

When you're at the airport, you should make sure you have your luggage with you at all times.

at (any) one time ( also at a time , also at any given time ) at or during any particular point or moment in the day:

Only a certain number of people are allowed in the building at any one time.

I'm sorry, but I'm too busy to help you now - I can only do one thing at a time.

at times C1 sometimes:

You can be really annoying at times, you know.

at any time ever:

Parking is not allowed here at any time.

the times UK on many occasions:

The times I've told you, ask before you borrow my clothes.

time / taɪm / noun (HISTORICAL PERIOD)

B2 [ C ] ( also times ) a period in history:

"A Tale of Two Cities" is set at the time of the French Revolution.

In/During medieval times, women thought to be witches were burned at the stake.

In times gone by, all crops were harvested by hand.

Times were hard (= living conditions were not good) when I was a boy.

He is widely regarded as one of the best writers of modern/our times (= the present or very recent past) .

I never thought it would happen in my time (= before I died) .

We sat and talked about old times (= things that had happened to us in the past.)

at one time C2 in the past:

At one time, George Eliot lived here.

ahead of your time ( UK also before your time )

having new ideas, opinions, or ways of living long before most other people do

before your time If something or someone is before your time, they happened or existed before you were born or were old enough to remember them:

I don't remember the Beatles - they were before my time.

→ See also ahead of your time

time was said to mean that there was a period in the past when something used to happen or be true:

Time was (when) you could buy a loaf of bread for sixpence.

time / taɪm / noun [ C or U ] (RACE)

Your time in a race is the number of minutes, hours, etc. you take to complete it:

Her time for the marathon was just under three hours.

He won the 100 metres in record time.

time / taɪm / noun [ U ] (MUSIC)

the number of beats in a bar of music, or the speed at which a piece of music is intended to be played:

This piece is written in 4/4 time.

Small children often have difficulty singing in time with the music (= at the same speed at which the music is being played) .

It seemed to me as if the violins were playing out of time (= at a different speed from the other instruments playing the same piece of music) .

To beat time is to make a regular series of sounds at the same speed as a piece of music is played.

Tapping your foot will help you to keep time (= to play the music at the correct speed) .

time / taɪm / noun (PRISON)

do time informal to spend a period of time in prison:

It's not always easy to find a job after you've done time.

time / taɪm / noun [ U ] (DRINKING)

the particular point in the day at which people who are drinking in a bar in the UK have to finish their drinks and leave:

"Time, please!" called the landlord.

Is it time already?

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

time

[ta͟ɪm]
♦
times, timing, timed
1) N-UNCOUNT Time is what we measure in minutes, hours, days, and years.
  ...a two-week period of time...
  Time passed, and still Ma did not appear...
  As time went on the visits got more and more regular...
  The social significance of religion has changed over time.
2) N-SING: what/the N You use time to ask or talk about a specific point in the day, which can be stated in hours and minutes and is shown on clocks.
  `What time is it?' - `Eight o'clock.'...
  He asked me the time...
  What time did he leave?...
  I phoned my mother to ask what time she was coming home...
  The time is now 19 minutes past the hour.
3) N-COUNT The time when something happens is the point in the day when it happens or is supposed to happen.
→ See also opening time
  Departure times are 08:15 from St Quay, and 18:15 from St Helier.
4) N-UNCOUNT: supp N You use time to refer to the system of expressing time and counting hours that is used in a particular part of the world.
  The tidal predictions are expressed in Greenwich Mean Time. Add one hour for British Summer Time...
  The incident happened just after ten o'clock local time.
5) N-UNCOUNT: also a N You use time to refer to the period that you spend doing something or when something has been happening.
  Adam spent a lot of time in his grandfather's office...
  He wouldn't have the time or money to take care of me...
  Listen to me, I haven't got much time...
  It's obvious that you need more time to think...
  The route was blocked for some time...
  For a long time I didn't tell anyone...
  A short time later they sat down to eat...
  Thank you very much for your time.
6) N-SING: a N If you say that something has been happening for a time you mean that it has been happening for a fairly long period of time.
  He was also for a time the art critic of `The Scotsman'...
  He stayed for quite a time...
  After a time they came to a pond.
7) N-COUNT: with supp, oft prep N You use time to refer to a period of time or a point in time, when you are describing what is happening then. For example, if something happened at a particular time, that is when it happened. If it happens at all times, it always happens.
  We were in the same college, which was male-only at that time...
  By this time he was thirty...
  During the time I was married I tried to be the perfect wife...
  It was a time of terrible uncertainty...
  Homes are more affordable than at any time in the past five years...
  It seemed like a good time to tell her...
  There were times when he would ring his bell at all hours of the day or night.
8) N-COUNT: with supp, usu adj N, N of n You use time or times to talk about a particular period in history or in your life.
  They were hard times and his parents had been struggling to raise their family...
  We'll be alone together, quite like old times...
  We are in one of the most severe recessions in modern times...
  A `Felucca' is the traditional Nile sailboat, unchanged since the time of the pharaohs.
9) N-PLURAL: the N You can use the times to refer to the present time and to modern fashions, tastes, and developments. For example, if you say that someone keeps up with the times, you mean they are fashionable or aware of modern developments. If you say they are behind the times, you mean they are unfashionable or not aware of them.
  He is unafraid to move with the times...
  This approach is now seriously out of step with the times...
  Johnny has changed his image to fit the times.
10) N-COUNT: adj N When you describe the time that you had on a particular occasion or during a particular part of your life, you are describing the sort of experience that you had then.
  Sarah and I had a great time while the kids were away...
  She's had a really tough time the last year and a half...
  You had an easy time of it at home...
  I try to remember all the good times I've had here.
11) N-SING: poss N Your time is the amount of time that you have to live, or to do a particular thing.
  Now Martin has begun to suffer the effects of AIDS, and he says his time is running out...
  Every administration has its time. And when your time is over, you leave...
  I doubt I would change anything if I had my time again.
12) N-UNCOUNT: oft N for n, N to-inf, N that If you say it is time for something, time to do something, or time you did something, you mean that this thing ought to happen or be done now.
  Opinion polls indicated a feeling among the public that it was time for a change...
  It was time for him to go to work...
  This was no time to make a speech...
  The time has come to put an end to the conflict...
  It's time you went to school.
13) N-COUNT: with supp When you talk about a time when something happens, you are referring to a specific occasion when it happens.
  Every time she travels on the bus it's delayed by at least three hours...
  The last time I saw her was about sixteen years ago...
  House prices are rising for the first time since November...
  Next time you go shopping, throw in a few extra fruit and vegetables...
  Remember that time she picked up my daughter when I was ill?.
14) N-COUNT: usu num/ord N You use time after numbers to say how often something happens.
  It was her job to make tea three times a day...
  How many times has your mother told you never to talk to strangers?...
  The Masters golf tournament was won a second time by the American Ben Hogan.
15) N-PLURAL: num N compar, num N as adj/adv, num N n You use times after numbers when comparing one thing to another and saying, for example, how much bigger, smaller, better, or worse it is.
  Its profits are rising four times faster than the average company...
  Young people were several times more likely to be out of work than older members of the workforce...
  He polled four times as many votes as his rival.
  ...an area five times the size of Britain.
16) CONJ-COORD You use times in arithmetic to link numbers or amounts that are multiplied together to reach a total.
  Four times six is 24.
17) N-COUNT: with supp, oft poss N, N of n Someone's time in a race is the amount of time it takes them to finish the race.
  He was over a second faster than his previous best time...
  She recorded a time of two minutes 8.74 seconds.
18) N-UNCOUNT: usu supp N, oft in N The time of a piece of music is the number of beats that the piece has in each bar.
  A reel is in four-four time, and a jig is in six-eight time.
19) VERB If you time something for a particular time, you plan or decide to do it or cause it to happen at this time.
  [V n to-inf] He timed the election to coincide with new measures to boost the economy...
  [V n for n] We had timed our visit for March 7...
  [V n adv] He had timed his intervention well...
  [V-ed] Operation Amazon is timed to coincide with the start of the dry season. [Also V n]
20) VERB If you time an action or activity, you measure how long someone takes to do it or how long it lasts.
  [V n] He timed each performance with a stop-watch.
21) → See also timing
22) PHRASE: it v-link PHR that, PHR as reply (emphasis) If you say it is about time that something was done, you are saying in an emphatic way that it should happen or be done now, and really should have happened or been done sooner.
  It's about time a few movie makers with original ideas were given a chance...
  `Here she is.' - `About time too.'
23) PHRASE: PHR after v If you do something ahead of time, you do it before a particular event or before you need to, in order to be well prepared.
  Find out ahead of time what regulations apply to your situation.
  Syn:
  in advance
24) PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR in -ing If someone is ahead of their time or before their time, they have new ideas a long time before other people start to think in the same way.
  He was indeed ahead of his time in employing women, ex-convicts, and the handicapped...
  His only fundamental mistake, he insists, is that he was 20 years before his time.
25) PHRASE: PHR after v If something happens or is done all the time, it happens or is done continually.
  We can't be together all the time...
  I get the two of them mixed up all the time, they're so similar.
  Syn:
  continually
26) PHRASE: amount PHR You say at a time after an amount to say how many things or how much of something is involved in one action, place, or group.
  Beat in the eggs, one at a time...
  She ran for the staircase and down the steps, taking them two at a time...
  Do you sometimes find that you are doing very little physical exercise for several weeks at a time?
27) PHRASE: PHR with cl If something could happen at any time, it is possible that it will happen very soon, though nobody can predict exactly when.
  Conditions are still very tense and the fighting could escalate at any time.
  Syn:
  at any moment
28) PHRASE: PHR with cl (emphasis) You say at the best of times when you are making a negative or critical comment to emphasize that it is true even when the circumstances are as favourable as possible.
  His voice is hardly resonant at the best of times. Today he is almost inaudible.
29) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something was the case at one time, you mean that it was the case during a particular period in the past.
  At one time 400 men, women and children lived in the village.
  ...enormous glaciers, which at one time covered vast areas of the northern hemisphere.
30) PHRASE: PHR with cl If two or more things exist, happen, or are true at the same time, they exist, happen, or are true together although they seem to contradict each other.
  I was afraid of her, but at the same time I really liked her...
  She was somehow able to look sad and cheerful at the same time.
31) PHRASE: PHR with cl At the same time is used to introduce a statement that slightly changes or contradicts the previous statement.
  I don't think I set out to come up with a different sound for each album. At the same time, I do have a sense of what is right for the moment.
32) PHRASE: PHR with cl/group You use at times to say that something happens or is true on some occasions or at some moments.
  The debate was highly emotional at times...
  At times she had an overwhelming desire to see him...
  He went on listening to her, at times impatient and at times fascinated.
  Syn:
  sometimes
33) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If you say that something was before your time, you mean that it happened or existed before you were born or before you were able to know about it or remember it.
  `You've never seen the Marilyn Monroe film?' - `No, I think it was a bit before my time.'
34) PHRASE: PHR after v If someone has reached a particular stage in life before their time, they have reached it at a younger age than is normal.
  The small print has forced me, years before my time, to buy spectacles...
  There is nothing like a college town to make you feel old before your time.
35) PHRASE: PHR with cl (emphasis) If you say not before time after a statement has been made about something that has been done, you are saying in an emphatic way that you think it should have been done sooner. [BRIT]
  The virus is getting more and more attention, and not before time...
  Not before time, that is about to change.
36) PHRASE: V inflects If you call time on something, you end it. [mainly BRIT, JOURNALISM]
  Scott Hastings has called time on his international career by cutting short his contract.
37) PHRASE: V inflects Someone who is doing time is in prison. [INFORMAL]
  He is serving 11 years for robbery, and did time for a similar offence before that.
38) PHRASE: usu PHR with v, PHR with group If you say that something will be the case for all time, you mean that it will always be the case.
  The desperate condition of the world is that madness has always been here, and that it will remain so for all time.
39) PHRASE: PHR with cl If something is the case or will happen for the time being, it is the case or will happen now, but only until something else becomes possible or happens.
  For the time being, however, immunotherapy is still in its experimental stages...
  The situation is calm for the time being.
  Syn:
  for now
40) PHRASE: PHR with v, PHR with cl If you do something from time to time, you do it occasionally but not regularly.
  Her daughters visited him from time to time when he was ill.
  Syn:
  now and again
41) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something is the case half the time you mean that it often is the case. [INFORMAL]
  Half the time, I don't have the slightest idea what he's talking about.
42) PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n If you say that you have no time for a person or thing, you mean you do not like them or approve of them, and if you say that you have a lot of time for a person or thing, you mean you like them or approve of them very much.
  When I think of what he's done to my mother and me, I've just got no time for him...
  I have got a lot of time for people who are prepared to put the welfare of their party above their own vanity.
43) PHRASE: V inflects, PHR that, PHR to-inf (emphasis) If you say that it is high time that something happened or was done, you are saying in an emphatic way that it should happen or be done now, and really should have happened or been done sooner.
  It is high time the Government displayed a more humanitarian approach towards victims of the recession...
  It is high time to consider the problem on a global scale.
44) PHRASE: PHR after v, oft PHR for n, PHR to-inf If you are in time for a particular event, you are not too late for it.
  I arrived just in time for my flight to London...
  She set the alarm so she'd wake up in time to give her two sons their medication.
45) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something will happen in time or given time, you mean that it will happen eventually, when a lot of time has passed.
  He would sort out his own problems, in time...
  Tina believed that, given time, her business would become profitable.
46) PHRASE: PHR after v, oft PHR with n If you are playing, singing, or dancing in time with a piece of music, you are following the rhythm and speed of the music correctly. If you are out of time with it, you are not following the rhythm and speed of the music correctly.
  Her body swayed in time with the music...
  We were standing onstage playing completely out of time.
47) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something will happen, for example, in a week 's time or in two years ' time, you mean that it will happen a week from now or two years from now.
  Presidential elections are due to be held in ten days' time...
  In a year's time we will all be laughing about it.
48) PHRASE: PHR after v, oft PHR for n If you arrive somewhere in good time, you arrive early so that there is time to spare before a particular event.
  If we're out, we always make sure we're home in good time for the programme.
49) PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR as reply If you tell someone that something will happen in good time or all in good time, you are telling them to be patient because it will happen eventually.
  There will be many advanced exercises that you won't be able to do at first. You will get to them in good time...
  `I can't wait to be grown up.' - `All in good time.'
50) PHRASE: PHR with cl If something happens in no time or in next to no time, it happens almost immediately or very quickly.
  He's going to be just fine. At his age he'll heal in no time...
  He expects to be out of prison in next to no time.
51) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you do something in your own time, you do it at the speed that you choose, rather than allowing anyone to hurry you.
  Now, in your own time, tell me what happened.
52) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you do something such as work in your own time in British English, or on your own time in American English, you do it in your free time rather than, for example, at work or school.
  If I choose to work on other projects in my own time, then I say that is my business.
53) PHRASE: V inflects If you keep time when playing or singing music, you follow or play the beat, without going too fast or too slowly.
  As he sang he kept time on a small drum.
54) PHRASE: V inflects When you talk about how well a watch or clock keeps time, you are talking about how accurately it measures time.
  Some pulsars keep time better than the earth's most accurate clocks.
55) PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR for n, PHR to-inf If you make time for a particular activity or person, you arrange to have some free time so that you can do the activity or spend time with the person.
  Before leaving the city, be sure to make time for a shopping trip...
  She had made time for me in the midst of her busy schedule...
  I think you should always make time to see your friends.
56) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that you made good time on a journey, you mean it did not take you very long compared to the length of time you expected it to take.
  They had left early in the morning, on quiet roads, and made good time.
57) PHRASE: V inflects If someone is making up for lost time, they are doing something actively and with enthusiasm because they have not had the opportunity to do it before or when they were younger.
  Five years older than the majority of officers of his same rank, he was determined to make up for lost time.
58) PHRASE: V inflects If you are marking time, you are doing something that is not particularly useful or interesting while you wait for something more important or interesting to happen.
  He's really just marking time until he's old enough to leave.
59) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something happens or is the case nine times out of ten or ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you mean that it happens on nearly every occasion or is almost always the case.
  When they want something, nine times out of ten they get it...
  Ninety-nine times out of a hundred when parents say to their children `I know how you feel', they are lying.
60) PHRASE: n PHR, usu PHR after adj-superl If you say that someone or something is, for example, the best writer of all time, or the most successful film of all time, you mean that they are the best or most successful that there has ever been.
  `Monopoly' is one of the best-selling games of all time...
  This is my favourite song of all time.
61) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If you are on time, you are not late.
  Don't worry, she'll be on time...
  Their planes usually arrive on time.
62) PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft it v-link PHR before cl If you say that it is only a matter of time or only a question of time before something happens, you mean that it cannot be avoided and will definitely happen at some future date.
  It now seems only a matter of time before they resign...
  The doctors are confident he'll make a full recovery. It's just a question of time.
63) PHRASE: usu of/in/for PHR When you refer to our time or our times you are referring to the present period in the history of the world.
  It would be wrong to say that the Church doesn't enter the great moral debates of our time.
64) PHRASE: V inflects If you do something to pass the time you do it because you have some time available and not because you really want to do it.
  Without particular interest and just to pass the time, I read a story...
  During a lunch break, he and the buyer passed the time with some chitchat.
65) PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR with n If you pass the time of day with someone, you have a short friendly conversation with them.
  One or two people went up and passed the time of day with her...
  They can't even say `good morning' or pass the time of day.
66) PHRASE: V inflects If you play for time, you try to make something happen more slowly, because you do not want it to happen or because you need time to think about what to do if it happens.
  The president's decision is being seen as an attempt to play for time.
67) PHRASE: V inflects, oft it PHR to-inf If you say that something will take time, you mean that it will take a long time.
  Change will come, but it will take time...
  It takes time to build up intimacy.
68) PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR -ing If you take your time doing something, you do it quite slowly and do not hurry.
  `Take your time,' Cross told him. `I'm in no hurry.'...
  He took his time answering, knowing that he must select his words with great care.
69) PHRASE: V inflects If a child can tell the time, they are able to find out what the time is by looking at a clock or watch.
  My four-year-old daughter cannot quite tell the time.
70) PHRASE: PHR with cl, PHR after v If something happens time after time, it happens in a similar way on many occasions.
  Burns had escaped from jail time after time...
  Time after time, I hear these stories of missing children on the news.
  Syn:
  repeatedly
71) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that time flies, you mean that it seems to pass very quickly.
  Time flies when you're having fun.
72) PHRASE: Ns inflect, PHR after v, v-link PHR If you have the time of your life, you enjoy yourself very much indeed.
  We're taking our little grandchild away with us. We'll make sure he has the time of his life...
  For some it was awful, for others, particularly the young, it was the time of their lives.
73) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If you say there is no time to lose or no time to be lost, you mean you must hurry as fast as you can to do something.
  He rushed home, realising there was no time to lose.
74) PHRASE: oft PHR whether/if If you say that time will tell whether something is true or correct, you mean that it will not be known until some time in the future whether it is true or correct.
  Only time will tell whether Broughton's optimism is justified...
  I can't see any problems, but time will tell.
75) PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR in -ing If you waste no time in doing something, you take the opportunity to do it immediately or quickly.
  Tom wasted no time in telling me why he had come.
76) time and again → see again
to the end of time → see end
in the fullness of time → see fullness
there's no time like the present → see present
the time is ripe → see ripe

time

[ta͟ɪm]
♦
times, timing, timed
1) N-UNCOUNT Time is what we measure in minutes, hours, days, and years.
  ...a two-week period of time...
  Time passed, and still Ma did not appear...
  As time went on the visits got more and more regular...
  The social significance of religion has changed over time.
2) N-SING: what/the N You use time to ask or talk about a specific point in the day, which can be stated in hours and minutes and is shown on clocks.
  `What time is it?' - `Eight o'clock.'...
  He asked me the time...
  What time did he leave?...
  I phoned my mother to ask what time she was coming home...
  The time is now 19 minutes past the hour.
3) N-COUNT The time when something happens is the point in the day when it happens or is supposed to happen.
→ See also opening time
  Departure times are 08:15 from St Quay, and 18:15 from St Helier.
4) N-UNCOUNT: supp N You use time to refer to the system of expressing time and counting hours that is used in a particular part of the world.
  The tidal predictions are expressed in Greenwich Mean Time. Add one hour for British Summer Time...
  The incident happened just after ten o'clock local time.
5) N-UNCOUNT: also a N You use time to refer to the period that you spend doing something or when something has been happening.
  Adam spent a lot of time in his grandfather's office...
  He wouldn't have the time or money to take care of me...
  Listen to me, I haven't got much time...
  It's obvious that you need more time to think...
  The route was blocked for some time...
  For a long time I didn't tell anyone...
  A short time later they sat down to eat...
  Thank you very much for your time.
6) N-SING: a N If you say that something has been happening for a time you mean that it has been happening for a fairly long period of time.
  He was also for a time the art critic of `The Scotsman'...
  He stayed for quite a time...
  After a time they came to a pond.
7) N-COUNT: with supp, oft prep N You use time to refer to a period of time or a point in time, when you are describing what is happening then. For example, if something happened at a particular time, that is when it happened. If it happens at all times, it always happens.
  We were in the same college, which was male-only at that time...
  By this time he was thirty...
  During the time I was married I tried to be the perfect wife...
  It was a time of terrible uncertainty...
  Homes are more affordable than at any time in the past five years...
  It seemed like a good time to tell her...
  There were times when he would ring his bell at all hours of the day or night.
8) N-COUNT: with supp, usu adj N, N of n You use time or times to talk about a particular period in history or in your life.
  They were hard times and his parents had been struggling to raise their family...
  We'll be alone together, quite like old times...
  We are in one of the most severe recessions in modern times...
  A `Felucca' is the traditional Nile sailboat, unchanged since the time of the pharaohs.
9) N-PLURAL: the N You can use the times to refer to the present time and to modern fashions, tastes, and developments. For example, if you say that someone keeps up with the times, you mean they are fashionable or aware of modern developments. If you say they are behind the times, you mean they are unfashionable or not aware of them.
  He is unafraid to move with the times...
  This approach is now seriously out of step with the times...
  Johnny has changed his image to fit the times.
10) N-COUNT: adj N When you describe the time that you had on a particular occasion or during a particular part of your life, you are describing the sort of experience that you had then.
  Sarah and I had a great time while the kids were away...
  She's had a really tough time the last year and a half...
  You had an easy time of it at home...
  I try to remember all the good times I've had here.
11) N-SING: poss N Your time is the amount of time that you have to live, or to do a particular thing.
  Now Martin has begun to suffer the effects of AIDS, and he says his time is running out...
  Every administration has its time. And when your time is over, you leave...
  I doubt I would change anything if I had my time again.
12) N-UNCOUNT: oft N for n, N to-inf, N that If you say it is time for something, time to do something, or time you did something, you mean that this thing ought to happen or be done now.
  Opinion polls indicated a feeling among the public that it was time for a change...
  It was time for him to go to work...
  This was no time to make a speech...
  The time has come to put an end to the conflict...
  It's time you went to school.
13) N-COUNT: with supp When you talk about a time when something happens, you are referring to a specific occasion when it happens.
  Every time she travels on the bus it's delayed by at least three hours...
  The last time I saw her was about sixteen years ago...
  House prices are rising for the first time since November...
  Next time you go shopping, throw in a few extra fruit and vegetables...
  Remember that time she picked up my daughter when I was ill?.
14) N-COUNT: usu num/ord N You use time after numbers to say how often something happens.
  It was her job to make tea three times a day...
  How many times has your mother told you never to talk to strangers?...
  The Masters golf tournament was won a second time by the American Ben Hogan.
15) N-PLURAL: num N compar, num N as adj/adv, num N n You use times after numbers when comparing one thing to another and saying, for example, how much bigger, smaller, better, or worse it is.
  Its profits are rising four times faster than the average company...
  Young people were several times more likely to be out of work than older members of the workforce...
  He polled four times as many votes as his rival.
  ...an area five times the size of Britain.
16) CONJ-COORD You use times in arithmetic to link numbers or amounts that are multiplied together to reach a total.
  Four times six is 24.
17) N-COUNT: with supp, oft poss N, N of n Someone's time in a race is the amount of time it takes them to finish the race.
  He was over a second faster than his previous best time...
  She recorded a time of two minutes 8.74 seconds.
18) N-UNCOUNT: usu supp N, oft in N The time of a piece of music is the number of beats that the piece has in each bar.
  A reel is in four-four time, and a jig is in six-eight time.
19) VERB If you time something for a particular time, you plan or decide to do it or cause it to happen at this time.
  [V n to-inf] He timed the election to coincide with new measures to boost the economy...
  [V n for n] We had timed our visit for March 7...
  [V n adv] He had timed his intervention well...
  [V-ed] Operation Amazon is timed to coincide with the start of the dry season. [Also V n]
20) VERB If you time an action or activity, you measure how long someone takes to do it or how long it lasts.
  [V n] He timed each performance with a stop-watch.
21) → See also timing
22) PHRASE: it v-link PHR that, PHR as reply (emphasis) If you say it is about time that something was done, you are saying in an emphatic way that it should happen or be done now, and really should have happened or been done sooner.
  It's about time a few movie makers with original ideas were given a chance...
  `Here she is.' - `About time too.'
23) PHRASE: PHR after v If you do something ahead of time, you do it before a particular event or before you need to, in order to be well prepared.
  Find out ahead of time what regulations apply to your situation.
  Syn:
  in advance
24) PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR in -ing If someone is ahead of their time or before their time, they have new ideas a long time before other people start to think in the same way.
  He was indeed ahead of his time in employing women, ex-convicts, and the handicapped...
  His only fundamental mistake, he insists, is that he was 20 years before his time.
25) PHRASE: PHR after v If something happens or is done all the time, it happens or is done continually.
  We can't be together all the time...
  I get the two of them mixed up all the time, they're so similar.
  Syn:
  continually
26) PHRASE: amount PHR You say at a time after an amount to say how many things or how much of something is involved in one action, place, or group.
  Beat in the eggs, one at a time...
  She ran for the staircase and down the steps, taking them two at a time...
  Do you sometimes find that you are doing very little physical exercise for several weeks at a time?
27) PHRASE: PHR with cl If something could happen at any time, it is possible that it will happen very soon, though nobody can predict exactly when.
  Conditions are still very tense and the fighting could escalate at any time.
  Syn:
  at any moment
28) PHRASE: PHR with cl (emphasis) You say at the best of times when you are making a negative or critical comment to emphasize that it is true even when the circumstances are as favourable as possible.
  His voice is hardly resonant at the best of times. Today he is almost inaudible.
29) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something was the case at one time, you mean that it was the case during a particular period in the past.
  At one time 400 men, women and children lived in the village.
  ...enormous glaciers, which at one time covered vast areas of the northern hemisphere.
30) PHRASE: PHR with cl If two or more things exist, happen, or are true at the same time, they exist, happen, or are true together although they seem to contradict each other.
  I was afraid of her, but at the same time I really liked her...
  She was somehow able to look sad and cheerful at the same time.
31) PHRASE: PHR with cl At the same time is used to introduce a statement that slightly changes or contradicts the previous statement.
  I don't think I set out to come up with a different sound for each album. At the same time, I do have a sense of what is right for the moment.
32) PHRASE: PHR with cl/group You use at times to say that something happens or is true on some occasions or at some moments.
  The debate was highly emotional at times...
  At times she had an overwhelming desire to see him...
  He went on listening to her, at times impatient and at times fascinated.
  Syn:
  sometimes
33) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If you say that something was before your time, you mean that it happened or existed before you were born or before you were able to know about it or remember it.
  `You've never seen the Marilyn Monroe film?' - `No, I think it was a bit before my time.'
34) PHRASE: PHR after v If someone has reached a particular stage in life before their time, they have reached it at a younger age than is normal.
  The small print has forced me, years before my time, to buy spectacles...
  There is nothing like a college town to make you feel old before your time.
35) PHRASE: PHR with cl (emphasis) If you say not before time after a statement has been made about something that has been done, you are saying in an emphatic way that you think it should have been done sooner. [BRIT]
  The virus is getting more and more attention, and not before time...
  Not before time, that is about to change.
36) PHRASE: V inflects If you call time on something, you end it. [mainly BRIT, JOURNALISM]
  Scott Hastings has called time on his international career by cutting short his contract.
37) PHRASE: V inflects Someone who is doing time is in prison. [INFORMAL]
  He is serving 11 years for robbery, and did time for a similar offence before that.
38) PHRASE: usu PHR with v, PHR with group If you say that something will be the case for all time, you mean that it will always be the case.
  The desperate condition of the world is that madness has always been here, and that it will remain so for all time.
39) PHRASE: PHR with cl If something is the case or will happen for the time being, it is the case or will happen now, but only until something else becomes possible or happens.
  For the time being, however, immunotherapy is still in its experimental stages...
  The situation is calm for the time being.
  Syn:
  for now
40) PHRASE: PHR with v, PHR with cl If you do something from time to time, you do it occasionally but not regularly.
  Her daughters visited him from time to time when he was ill.
  Syn:
  now and again
41) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something is the case half the time you mean that it often is the case. [INFORMAL]
  Half the time, I don't have the slightest idea what he's talking about.
42) PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n If you say that you have no time for a person or thing, you mean you do not like them or approve of them, and if you say that you have a lot of time for a person or thing, you mean you like them or approve of them very much.
  When I think of what he's done to my mother and me, I've just got no time for him...
  I have got a lot of time for people who are prepared to put the welfare of their party above their own vanity.
43) PHRASE: V inflects, PHR that, PHR to-inf (emphasis) If you say that it is high time that something happened or was done, you are saying in an emphatic way that it should happen or be done now, and really should have happened or been done sooner.
  It is high time the Government displayed a more humanitarian approach towards victims of the recession...
  It is high time to consider the problem on a global scale.
44) PHRASE: PHR after v, oft PHR for n, PHR to-inf If you are in time for a particular event, you are not too late for it.
  I arrived just in time for my flight to London...
  She set the alarm so she'd wake up in time to give her two sons their medication.
45) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something will happen in time or given time, you mean that it will happen eventually, when a lot of time has passed.
  He would sort out his own problems, in time...
  Tina believed that, given time, her business would become profitable.
46) PHRASE: PHR after v, oft PHR with n If you are playing, singing, or dancing in time with a piece of music, you are following the rhythm and speed of the music correctly. If you are out of time with it, you are not following the rhythm and speed of the music correctly.
  Her body swayed in time with the music...
  We were standing onstage playing completely out of time.
47) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something will happen, for example, in a week 's time or in two years ' time, you mean that it will happen a week from now or two years from now.
  Presidential elections are due to be held in ten days' time...
  In a year's time we will all be laughing about it.
48) PHRASE: PHR after v, oft PHR for n If you arrive somewhere in good time, you arrive early so that there is time to spare before a particular event.
  If we're out, we always make sure we're home in good time for the programme.
49) PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR as reply If you tell someone that something will happen in good time or all in good time, you are telling them to be patient because it will happen eventually.
  There will be many advanced exercises that you won't be able to do at first. You will get to them in good time...
  `I can't wait to be grown up.' - `All in good time.'
50) PHRASE: PHR with cl If something happens in no time or in next to no time, it happens almost immediately or very quickly.
  He's going to be just fine. At his age he'll heal in no time...
  He expects to be out of prison in next to no time.
51) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you do something in your own time, you do it at the speed that you choose, rather than allowing anyone to hurry you.
  Now, in your own time, tell me what happened.
52) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you do something such as work in your own time in British English, or on your own time in American English, you do it in your free time rather than, for example, at work or school.
  If I choose to work on other projects in my own time, then I say that is my business.
53) PHRASE: V inflects If you keep time when playing or singing music, you follow or play the beat, without going too fast or too slowly.
  As he sang he kept time on a small drum.
54) PHRASE: V inflects When you talk about how well a watch or clock keeps time, you are talking about how accurately it measures time.
  Some pulsars keep time better than the earth's most accurate clocks.
55) PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR for n, PHR to-inf If you make time for a particular activity or person, you arrange to have some free time so that you can do the activity or spend time with the person.
  Before leaving the city, be sure to make time for a shopping trip...
  She had made time for me in the midst of her busy schedule...
  I think you should always make time to see your friends.
56) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that you made good time on a journey, you mean it did not take you very long compared to the length of time you expected it to take.
  They had left early in the morning, on quiet roads, and made good time.
57) PHRASE: V inflects If someone is making up for lost time, they are doing something actively and with enthusiasm because they have not had the opportunity to do it before or when they were younger.
  Five years older than the majority of officers of his same rank, he was determined to make up for lost time.
58) PHRASE: V inflects If you are marking time, you are doing something that is not particularly useful or interesting while you wait for something more important or interesting to happen.
  He's really just marking time until he's old enough to leave.
59) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something happens or is the case nine times out of ten or ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you mean that it happens on nearly every occasion or is almost always the case.
  When they want something, nine times out of ten they get it...
  Ninety-nine times out of a hundred when parents say to their children `I know how you feel', they are lying.
60) PHRASE: n PHR, usu PHR after adj-superl If you say that someone or something is, for example, the best writer of all time, or the most successful film of all time, you mean that they are the best or most successful that there has ever been.
  `Monopoly' is one of the best-selling games of all time...
  This is my favourite song of all time.
61) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If you are on time, you are not late.
  Don't worry, she'll be on time...
  Their planes usually arrive on time.
62) PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft it v-link PHR before cl If you say that it is only a matter of time or only a question of time before something happens, you mean that it cannot be avoided and will definitely happen at some future date.
  It now seems only a matter of time before they resign...
  The doctors are confident he'll make a full recovery. It's just a question of time.
63) PHRASE: usu of/in/for PHR When you refer to our time or our times you are referring to the present period in the history of the world.
  It would be wrong to say that the Church doesn't enter the great moral debates of our time.
64) PHRASE: V inflects If you do something to pass the time you do it because you have some time available and not because you really want to do it.
  Without particular interest and just to pass the time, I read a story...
  During a lunch break, he and the buyer passed the time with some chitchat.
65) PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR with n If you pass the time of day with someone, you have a short friendly conversation with them.
  One or two people went up and passed the time of day with her...
  They can't even say `good morning' or pass the time of day.
66) PHRASE: V inflects If you play for time, you try to make something happen more slowly, because you do not want it to happen or because you need time to think about what to do if it happens.
  The president's decision is being seen as an attempt to play for time.
67) PHRASE: V inflects, oft it PHR to-inf If you say that something will take time, you mean that it will take a long time.
  Change will come, but it will take time...
  It takes time to build up intimacy.
68) PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR -ing If you take your time doing something, you do it quite slowly and do not hurry.
  `Take your time,' Cross told him. `I'm in no hurry.'...
  He took his time answering, knowing that he must select his words with great care.
69) PHRASE: V inflects If a child can tell the time, they are able to find out what the time is by looking at a clock or watch.
  My four-year-old daughter cannot quite tell the time.
70) PHRASE: PHR with cl, PHR after v If something happens time after time, it happens in a similar way on many occasions.
  Burns had escaped from jail time after time...
  Time after time, I hear these stories of missing children on the news.
  Syn:
  repeatedly
71) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that time flies, you mean that it seems to pass very quickly.
  Time flies when you're having fun.
72) PHRASE: Ns inflect, PHR after v, v-link PHR If you have the time of your life, you enjoy yourself very much indeed.
  We're taking our little grandchild away with us. We'll make sure he has the time of his life...
  For some it was awful, for others, particularly the young, it was the time of their lives.
73) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If you say there is no time to lose or no time to be lost, you mean you must hurry as fast as you can to do something.
  He rushed home, realising there was no time to lose.
74) PHRASE: oft PHR whether/if If you say that time will tell whether something is true or correct, you mean that it will not be known until some time in the future whether it is true or correct.
  Only time will tell whether Broughton's optimism is justified...
  I can't see any problems, but time will tell.
75) PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR in -ing If you waste no time in doing something, you take the opportunity to do it immediately or quickly.
  Tom wasted no time in telling me why he had come.
76) time and again → see again
to the end of time → see end
in the fullness of time → see fullness
there's no time like the present → see present
the time is ripe → see ripe

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

¹time /ˈtaɪm/ noun, pl times
1 [noncount] : the thing that is measured as seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, etc.
• The time passed slowly/quickly.
• The two events were separated by time and space.
• The poem is a reflection on the passage/passing of time.
• What was happening at that particular moment in time?
• At this point in time, we have not made a decision. [=we have not yet made a decision]
• It has been that way since the beginning of time.
• If only I could travel back in time and do things differently.
• They were given a relatively short amount of time to finish the job.
• The situation has been getting more complicated as time goes by/on.
• In the course of time [=as time passed], people learned to accept the changes.
• The medicine is released in small amounts over time. [=it is released slowly]
• Her condition should improve with time. [=it should become better as time passes]
• happening for an extended period of time
• The study took place over a time span of 20 years. [=the study continued for 20 years]
2 a [singular] : a particular minute or hour shown by a clock
• What time is it? = (chiefly Brit) What's the time?
• The time is 6:15. [=it is 6:15]
• I'll see you tomorrow, same time, same place. = I'll see you here this time tomorrow.
• Would you prefer the meeting to be at an earlier time?
• Feel free to call me at any time, day or night.
• What time did you leave work? [=when did you leave work?]
• They arrived at the appointed/agreed-on time. [=hour]
• Do you know the time? = (chiefly US) Do you have the time? = (chiefly Brit) Have you got the time?
• (US) What time do you have? = (Brit) What time do you make it? [=what time is it?]
• “Look at the time! We have to go.”
b [noncount] : the time in a particular area or part of the world
• We'll be arriving at 9:00 a.m. local time.
• It's 2:00 p.m. Tokyo time.
- see also british summer time, daylight saving time, greenwich mean time, local time, standard time
3 a : the part of a day, week, month, or year when something usually happens or is scheduled to happen

[noncount]

• My kids love bath time.
• It's party time!
• Test time is at 8:00. [=the test will begin at 8:00]
• I did some work on my house during my vacation time.

[count]

• She gave the family some advice on how to make breakfast times less hectic.
- see also bedtime, dinnertime, drive time, lunchtime, mealtime, playtime, prime time, teatime
b [count] : a particular part of a day, week, month, or year
• He has to go to the classes at certain times of the month.
• There was snow on the ground at this time last year.
• It's unusually hot for this time of year. [=season]
• My favorite times of year are spring and fall.
- see also christmastime, daytime, nighttime, noontime, springtime, summertime, wintertime
4 [count] : an occurrence of an action or event : an instance of something happening or of someone doing something
• She's already seen the movie several times.
• He told us the story about the time he bought his first car.
• Do you remember the time we got lost in Washington, D.C.?
• Take one pill two times daily [=take one pill twice each day] for seven days.
• This is my first time on an airplane. [=I have never been on an airplane before]
• He ran for governor for the second time in 1980.
• I cry each/every time [=whenever] I hear that song.
• Remember to buckle up your seatbelt each and every time you ride in a car.
• I'll come by the next time I'm in town.
• The last time I saw him [=the most recent time that I saw him] was at his wedding.
• Okay, I'll do it again one last time.
• For the last time, please stop! = This is the last time I'm going to tell you: please stop!
• Would you please do it one more time? [=again, once more]
• How many times do I have to tell you? I don't know where it is!
• I've told you many times not to do that. = I've told you a hundred/thousand/million times not to do that.
• Don't worry about it. We've all made that same mistake many a time. = Many's the time we have made that same mistake.
• “This time you've gone too far!” he said.
• She beats me at chess nine times out of ten. [=for every ten games we play, she beats me nine times]
• They may have lost their last championship game, but they're determined to win the next time around/round.
• We're going to win this time out.
• One time [=once, (more formally) on one occasion] I came home two hours late and nobody noticed.
5 a [singular] : the period of time when something happens
• I had lived in 12 different cities by the time I turned 18. [=when I was 18 years old, I had already lived in 12 different cities]
• She had known that she wanted to be President from the time [=since] she was seven years old.
• Since that time, the government has done much to fix the problem.
- often used after at
• If you're busy now, perhaps we can get together at another time.
• At no time did the defendant ask for a lawyer. [=the defendant never asked for a lawyer]
• It was raining at the time of the accident. [=it was raining when the accident happened]
• This information was correct at the time of publication.
• He was elected pope in 1978, at which time he took the name John Paul.
- see also at the same time (below), at times (below)
b [count] : the exact moment when a particular event happens or is scheduled to happen
• Curtain time is at 7:30 p.m. [=the performance begins at 7:30 p.m.]
• What is the movie's starting time? [=when does the movie start?]
• The patient's time of death was 2:15 a.m.
• He called to give me his flights' departure/arrival times. [=the times when his flights are scheduled to depart/arrive]
• The network moved my favorite television show to a different time slot.
- see also closing time, showtime
6 : a period of time when a situation or set of conditions exists : a period of minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc., when something is happening or someone is doing something

[count]

• I can't remember a time that/when I've been happier.
• She helped me in my time of need. [=she helped me when I needed help]
• He is someone you can depend on in times of crisis.
• He sat down to rest, and after a time [=while] he continued on his way.
• She served in the military for a time in her early twenties.
• No one spoke to us the entire/whole time we were there.
• We will be able to stay here only a short time.
• I haven't seen you in such a long time!
• It took them a long time to find out what was causing the problem.
• His promotion was a long time coming. [=he waited a long time to be promoted]
• It happened a long time ago.
- often + when
• There was a time when I thought he would never graduate from college.
- often used after at
• She was calm at a time when everyone else was panicking.
• Sometimes this helps, while at other times it makes things worse.
• No more than five people should ride in the car at any one time.
• There are between 200 and 300 patients in the hospital at any given time.
• How could you think about food at a time like this?
• At one time [=during one period of time in the past], 20 people lived together in this house.
• Everyone has experienced this feeling at one time or another.
• At the present time [=presently, right now], we don't know why it happened. = We don't know why it happened at this time.

[noncount]

• Some time ago [=at some point in the past], I read that the restaurant had closed.
• She has been living there for (quite) some time. [=for a somewhat long time]
• I get sick if I sit in the back seat of a car for any length of time. [=for more than a very small amount of time]
7 [noncount] : the number of minutes, days, years, etc., before something happens : the amount of time it takes for something to happen - usually used after in
• The movie is coming out in two months' time. [=it is coming out two months from now]
• They expect the system to be completely replaced in a few years' time.
• This machine can have the job finished in half the time (it would take you to do it by hand).
• It can do the job in a fraction of the time. [=it can do the job much more quickly]
• It's just a matter of time before someone gets hurt. [=someone will get hurt eventually]
• The police will catch him. It's only a question of time. [=the police will catch him at some point in the future]
8 [noncount] : the amount of time that is used, needed, available, or allowed for a particular activity or for someone to do something
• You must complete the project within the time allotted.
• I'll try not to take up too much of your time.
• Thank you for your time. [=thank you for listening to me]
• It's not worth your time and energy.
• Is there (enough) time to stop for lunch?
• What do you do in your free/spare time? [=when you are not working]
• We played games to pass/kill the time on the bus. [=we played games to cause time to seem to go by more quickly]
• How much more time do we have (left)? = How are we doing on/for time?
• We're pressed for time. [=we don't have much time left to do what we need to do]
• We ran out of time and didn't finish the project. [=we had no more time to work on the project]
• Time's up. [=the allowed period of time has ended] Please put down your pencils and hand in your tests.
• They finished with time to spare. [=they finished early]
• We're using up valuable/precious time talking when we could be getting started.
• The candidates will receive equal time to answer questions during the debate.
• Her teammates were complaining about their lack of playing time. [=the amount of time that they were allowed to play during a game]
• Sometimes she would drop by to pass the time of day. [=to have a friendly and informal conversation]
• She's had a lot of time on her hands [=time when she was not busy] lately.
• He can't manage to find (the) time to exercise.
- often used with save
• This new system will save time [=take less time, be faster] and money.
• We can save a lot of time by using this shortcut.
- often used with lose
• They lost a lot of time getting started.
• You'll just have to make up for lost time by working harder now. [=you'll have to work faster because you have less time to finish the work]
- often used with spend
• He spends all his time watching TV.
• I'm looking forward to spending more time at home [=being at home more] with my family.
- often used with waste
• Stop wasting time [=doing nothing or doing something that is not useful] and get to work!
• They wasted no time in decorating their new apartment. [=they started decorating it immediately]
• That class was a (big) waste of time. [=the class was not good] I didn't learn a thing.
- often followed by to + verb
• If we leave now, there's just (enough) time to catch the last show.
• There's no time to explain. I'll have to tell you why later.
• In the time it takes you to read one chapter, she can read the entire book.
• We will have plenty of time to buy souvenirs later.
• I haven't had much time to think about it.
• We have to hurry. There's no time to lose. [=we have little time, so we cannot waste any of it]
9 : the right moment to do something or for something to happen

[count]

• This is no time for jokes.
• The time for talking has passed. We must take action now.
• There is a time and a place for everything.
• Am I calling at a bad time? [=are you too busy to talk to me?]
• Is this a good time for you?
• This is as good a time as any.
• “Should we do it now?” “Sure. There's no time like the present.” [=let's do it now]
- often followed by to + verb
• Now is the perfect time to buy a new car.
• Now's not the time to discuss such things.
- often used with come
• We feel that the time has come for a decision to be made.
• When the time comes to move out of their apartment, they will have saved up enough money to buy a house.
• There comes a time when children leave their parents and start families of their own.
• an idea whose time has come [=an idea that is ready to be used]

[noncount]

• It's time to go.
• It is time for us to consider an alternative.
10 [count] : the quality of a person's experience on a particular occasion or during a particular period
• We all had a good/great/lovely time at the concert. [=we enjoyed the concert very much]
• Did you have a good time?
• A good time was had by all.
• Try to remember the good times you had together rather than the bad times.
• Their music helped me get through some difficult/hard/rough/tough times in my life.
• He looked like he was having the time of his life. [=enjoying himself very much; having a lot of fun]
• They've been having a hard time finding an apartment in the city.
11 [count] : a specific period in the past
• It happens more now than at any other time in history.
• The writings date back to the time of Shakespeare. [=the period of time when Shakespeare was alive]
• Like most families at/of/during that time, they had only one car.
• There was a time when people could let their children play outside without worrying about their safety.
• He was a famous comedian of the/that time.
• The bridge was built around the time of World War I.
• It was the most important book of its time.
• He is one of the greatest actors of our time. [=of the present day]
• Life was very different at that time. [=then]
• People have been creating art since time immemorial. [=for a very long time]
- often used after in
• Things were very different in your grandparents' time. [=day]
• I've seen a lot of crazy things in my time. [=during my life]
• She was a legend in her own time. [=she was someone who was very famous and admired while she was still alive]
• The tools were known to be in use in medieval/ancient/prehistoric times.
• In earlier times, this road was an important trade route.
• farming methods used in times past [=in the past]
- often used in the titles of books, newspapers, etc.
• She was reading the latest issue of the New York Times.
• The biography was titled The Life and Times of Napoleon.
12 times [plural]
a : the conditions experienced by a group of people now or during a particular period in the past
• The country is facing some difficult/trying times.
• Those were lean times, and our family couldn't afford new clothes.
• Life can be difficult even at/in the best of times.
b : the styles, events, or ideas that are popular or important in a culture now or at a particular period in the past
• Companies must change/evolve/move with the times or risk losing their customers.
• In this business, you have to keep up with the times. [=stay current; change as conditions change]
• Times have changed since then.
• Come on. Get with the times. [=understand and change to fit what is now happening and accepted in the culture]
• Their methods are behind the times. [=outdated]
13 a [count] : a period or stage in a person's life
• I'm at a time in my life when I don't care much about my appearance.
• at various times of her life
b [singular] : the time when a woman gives birth to a child
• Her time is drawing near.
c [singular] : the time when someone dies
• “Why did he have to die?” “It was just his time.”
14 a [singular] : the number of months, years, etc., that a person spends at a particular place or in a particular group or organization
• I learned a great deal during my time at Harvard.
• She used her time in the Senate to fight for the environment.
b [singular] : the number of months or years that an active member of the military is required to stay in the military
• She plans on going to college after she serves her time in the army. = She plans on going to college after she puts in her time in the army.
• He was an ex-soldier who did his time in Vietnam. [=he fought in Vietnam while he was a soldier]
c [noncount] informal : the number of days, months, or years that a person must stay in prison
• She's now doing time for armed robbery.
• (US) He could be facing hard time [=a long or difficult prison sentence] for his crimes.
15 [count] : the seconds, minutes, etc., it takes to do something (such as finish a race)
• She ran the mile in a time of 5 minutes and 15 seconds.
• What was my time? [=how long did it take me to do it?]
• He finished in record time. [=in the least amount of time ever]
16 [noncount] : the minutes, hours, or days that a person works or is required to work for a company : the time during which a company is paying a worker
• She has been putting in a lot of time [=she has been working a lot] at the office.
• I'll ask my supervisor if I can take time off (work) to go to the dentist.
• She took time out from her career to raise her children. [=she stopped working while she raised her children]
• (US) Employees need to make personal calls on their own time. = (Brit) Employees need to make personal calls in their own time. [=when their employer is not paying them to work]
• (US) Please do not make personal calls (when you are) on company time. = (Brit) Please do not make personal calls (when you are) in company time. [=when your employer is paying you to work]
- see also double time, flextime, full-time, overtime, part-time, short time, time and a half
17 times [plural]
- used to say how much bigger, smaller, faster, etc., something is than something else
• Her salary is five times greater than mine. = She earns five times as much money as I do.
• The area received three times the amount of rain it got last year.
• You would have to spend two times [=twice] as much at a regular department store.
• Their original investment has paid for itself many times over.
- see also times
18 [noncount] music
a : the rate of speed at which a piece of music is performed
• We clapped in time to [=in a way that matched the speed of] the music.
• March in time.
- see also keep time 2 (below)
b : the way that beats are grouped together in a piece of music
• the use of 6/8 time in certain styles of music
- often used after in
• If a song is in 3/4 time, that means that there are three beats per bar/measure and that each of those beats is a quarter note.
• a dance performed in 4/4 time with a quick tempo
against time
✦If you are racing/working (etc.) against time or are in a race against time, you are doing something quickly because you have only a small amount of time.
• We're working against time to finish this book.
• They raced against time to get her to the hospital.
• It was a race against time to find a cure for the disease.
ahead of time : before something happens : earlier than a time or event
• He called the restaurant ahead of time to make a dinner reservation.
• She read the report ahead of time to prepare for the meeting.
ahead of your/its time
✦If you are ahead of your time or if your ideas, creations, etc., are ahead of their time, you are too advanced or modern to be understood or appreciated during the time when you live or work.
• As a director, he was ahead of his time. His movies are now regarded as classics, but they were unpopular when he made them.
(all) in good time : when the appropriate moment arrives : when the time is right
• I'll let him know in good time.
• It will happen all in good time.
all (of) the time
1 : always
• You can't be right all of the time.
2 informal : very often or frequently
• “Do you ever take the subway to work?” “Yeah, all the time.”
• My sisters and I used to fight all of the time.