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