The time is eight o'clock.
- An example of time is the Renaissance era.
- An example of time is breakfast at eight o'clock in the morning.
- An example of time is a date at noon next Saturday.
Time is defined as the duration in which all things happen, or a precise instant that something happens.
time
- indefinite, unlimited duration in which things are considered as happening in the past, present, or future; every moment there has ever been or ever will be
- the entire period of existence of the known universe; finite duration, as distinguished from infinity
- the entire period of existence of the world or of humanity; earthly duration, as distinguished from eternity
- Father Time
- the period between two events or during which something exists, happens, or acts; measured or measurable interval any period in the history of humanity or of the universe, often specif. with reference to a characteristic social structure, set of customs, famous person living then, etc.: prehistoric times, medieval times, geologic time, Lincoln's time
- a period characterized by a prevailing condition or specific experience: a time of peace, have a good time
- the prevailing conditions of a particular period: the times were difficult
- a period of existence; lifetime: his time is almost over
- a term of apprenticeship
- a term of imprisonment
- a term of military service
- ⌂ Obs. a period of indenture
- the period regularly worked or to be worked by an employee
- the hourly rate of pay for the regular working hours
- the grouping of rhythmic beats into measures of equal length
- the characteristic rhythm of a piece of music in terms of this grouping, indicated by the time signature
- the rate of speed at which a composition or passage is played; tempo
- loosely the rhythm and tempo characteristic of a kind of composition: waltz time, march time
- the duration of a note or rest
- a precise instant, second, minute, hour, day, week, month, or year, determined by clock or calendar; specif., the present instant, determined by clock: do you know the time? the point at which something has happened, is happening, or will happen; occasion: game time is two o'clock the usual, natural, traditional, or appointed moment for something to happen, begin, or end [time to get up]; specif.,
- the moment of death: his time is close at hand
- the end of a period of pregnancy; moment of giving birth: her time had come
- ⌂ one's turn at something: a time at bat
Origin of time
Middle English ; from Old English tima, probably ; from Indo-European an unverified form d?-men ; from base an unverified form d?(i)-, to part, divide up from source tideSports used to signify that a period of play or activity has ended or that play is temporarily suspended
timed, tim′ing
- to arrange or set the time of so as to be acceptable, suitable, opportune, etc.: to time an invasion
- to adjust, set, play, etc. so as to coincide in time with something else: to time one's watch with another's
- to regulate (a mechanism) for a given speed or length of operation
- to set the duration of (a syllable or musical note) as a unit of rhythm
- to calculate or record the pace, speed, finishing time, etc. of; clock: to time a runner
Rare to move in time; keep time
- having to do with time
- set or regulated so as to explode, open, etc. at a given time: a time bomb
- payable later or on a specified future date: a time loan
- ⌂ designating or of any of a series of payments made or to be made over a period of time: a time payment
time Idioms
about time
a phrase used to convey that something that has happened was overdue
abreast of the times
- up-to-date, as in ideas, fashions, etc.; modern
- informed about current matters
against time
in an effort to finish in a given time
ahead of time
⌂ sooner than due; early
all the time
often, regularly, or constantly
at one time
- simultaneously
- formerly
at the same time
- simultaneously; in the same period
- nonetheless; however
at times
occasionally; sometimes
behind the times
out-of-date; old-fashioned
behind time
late
between times
at intervals, as between other events or actions
do time
Informal to serve a prison term
for the time being
for the present; temporarily
from time to time
at intervals; now and then
gain time
- to go too fast: said of a timepiece
- to prolong a situation until a desired occurrence can take place
in good time
- at the proper time
- in a creditably short time; quickly
in no time
almost instantly; very quickly
in time
- in the course of time; eventually
- before it is too late
- keeping the set rhythm, tempo, pace, etc.
keep good (or bad, etc.) time
to register the elapsing of time or adhere to a meter in an accurate (or inaccurate, etc.) manner: a clock, drummer, etc. that keeps good time
keep time
- to maintain a set rhythm, beat, tempo, etc.: the drummers kept time for the marching band
- to mark or note the elapsing of time: a referee assigned to keep time
lose no time
to act or respond promptly: the ambulance lost no time in getting here
lose time
- to go too slow: said of a timepiece
- to let time go by without advancing one's objective
make time
- to compensate for lost time by going faster: said as of a train
- ⌂ to travel, work, etc. at a specified, esp. fast, rate of speed: we made (good) time between Boston and Albany
make time with
⌂Slang to succeed in attracting or having an affair with (a person)
many a time
often; frequently
not give someone the time of day
to refuse to speak to or be polite to someone
on one's own time
⌂ during time for which one is not paid; during other than working hours
on time
- ⌂ at the appointed time; punctual or punctually
- ⌂ with the agreement that payment will be made in installments over a period of time
out of time
- not at the usual time; unseasonable
- not keeping the set rhythm, tempo, pace, etc.
- with all allotted or available time having elapsed
pass the time
to fill a span of time, as with some pleasant diversion
pass the time of day
to exchange a few words of greeting, etc.
(have) the time of one's life
⌂Informal (have) an experience of great pleasure
time after time
again and again; continually
also time and again
time is money
a proverb meaning that delay and inefficiency are equivalent to a monetary loss
time of life
age (of a person)
time on one's hands
an interval with nothing to do
time out of mind
time immemorial (sense )
time was
there was a time
time will tell
a proverb meaning that some time will pass before an outcome or result is known or confirmed
time
noun
- a. A nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.b. An interval separating two points on this continuum; a duration: a long time since the last war; passed the time reading.c. A number, as of years, days, or minutes, representing such an interval: ran the course in a time just under four minutes.d. A similar number representing a specific point on this continuum, reckoned in hours and minutes: checked her watch and recorded the time, 6:17 AM.e. A system by which such intervals are measured or such numbers are reckoned: solar time.
- a. often times An interval, especially a span of years, marked by similar events, conditions, or phenomena; an era: hard times; a time of troubles.b. times The present with respect to prevailing conditions and trends: You must change with the times.
- A suitable or opportune moment or season: a time for taking stock of one's life.
- a. Periods or a period designated for a given activity: harvest time; time for bed.b. Periods or a period necessary or available for a given activity: I have no time for golf.c. A period at one's disposal: Do you have time for a chat?
- An appointed or fated moment, especially of death or giving birth: He died before his time. Her time is near.
- a. One of several instances: knocked three times; addressed Congress for the last time before retirement.b. times Used to indicate the number of instances by which something is multiplied or divided: This tree is three times taller than that one. My library is many times smaller than hers.
- a. One's lifetime.b. One's period of greatest activity or engagement.c. A person's experience during a specific period or on a certain occasion: had a good time at the party.
- a. A period of military service.b. A period of apprenticeship.c. Informal A prison sentence.
- a. The customary period of work: hired for full time.b. The period spent working.c. The hourly pay rate: earned double time on Sundays.
- The period during which a radio or television program or commercial is broadcast: “There's television time to buy” (Brad Goldstein).
- The rate of speed of a measured activity: marching in double time.
- Music a. The meter of a musical pattern: three-quarter time.b. The rate of speed at which a piece of music is played; the tempo.
- Chiefly British The hour at which a pub closes.
- Sports A time-out.
adjective
- Of, relating to, or measuring time.
- Constructed so as to operate at a particular moment: a time release.
- Payable on a future date or dates.
- Of or relating to installment buying: time payments.
transitive verb
timed, tim·ing, times- To set the time for (an event or occasion).
- To adjust to keep accurate time.
- To adjust so that a force is applied or an action occurs at the desired time: timed his swing so as to hit the ball squarely.
- To record the speed or duration of: time a runner.
- To set or maintain the tempo, speed, or duration of: time a manufacturing process.
- To speculate based on the anticipated short-term performance of (a market): time the stock market.
Origin of time
Middle English, from Old English t&imacron;ma; see da- in Indo-European roots.time
See also antiquity; future; past.
anachronism 1. a person or a thing remaining or appearing after its own time period; archaism. 2. an error in chronology. Also called antichronism. —anachronistic, anachronistical, anachronous, adj. asynchronism the absence of concurrent time. Cf. synchronism. —asynchronic, adj. —asynchrony, n. chronology 1. the science of arranging time in fixed periods for the purpose of dating events accurately and arranging them in order of occurrence. 2. a reference book organized according to the dates of past events. —chronologer, chronologist, n. —chronological, adj. chronometry 1. the art of measuring time accurately. 2. the measurement of time by periods or divisions. —chronometric, chronometrical, adj. chronophobia an abnormal discomfort concerning time. chronoscope an instrument for accurate measurement of very short periods of time, as the time of trajectory of missiles. chronoscopy accurate measurement of short intervals of time by means of a chronoscope. —chronoscopic, adj. clepsydra an instrument for measuring time by the controlled flow of water or mercury through a small opening. coetaneity coevalneity. —coetaneous, adj. coeternity the state of eternal coexistence; eternal coexistence with another eternal entity. —coetemal, adj. coevalneity the state or quality of being alike in age or duration; contemporaneity. Also called coetaneity. —coeval, adj. cunctation the practice or habit of delay or tardiness; procrastination. —cunctator, n. —cunctatious, cunctatory, adj. dendrochronology the science of fixing dates in the past by the study of growth rings in trees. —dendrochronologist, n. —dendrochronological, adj. diachrony the comparative study of a development based on its history. —diachronic, diachronistic, diachronistical, adj. diuturnity Rare. the quality of long duration in time; length of time. —diuturnal, adj. geochronology the chronology of the earth as induced from geologic data. —geochronologist, n. —geochronologic, geochronological, adj. glottochronology the study of two or more related but distinct languages in order to determine when they separated, by examining the lexicon they share and those parts of it that have been replaced. —glottochronologist, n. —glottochronological, adj. gnomonics the art or science of constructing dials, as sundials, which show the time of day by the shadow of the gnomon, a pin or triangle raised above the surface of the dial. gnomonology a treatise or other work on the subject of gnomics. horologe any instrument or device for telling time, especially a sundial and early forms of the clock. horologiography 1. the description of watches and clocks. 2. the art of making timepieces. —horologiographer, horologiographian, n. —horologiographic, adj. horology the art or science of making timepieces or of measuring time. —horologist, n. —horological, adj. horometer an instrument for measuring time. horometry the art or science of measuring time. —horometrical, adj. immediatism immediateness; the quality or condition of being immediate. intempestivity Obsolete, the state or condition of being untimely. —intempestive, adj. isochronism 1. the characteristic of having a uniform period of vibration. 2. the condition of occurring at the same time as another event. —isochronic, adj. —isochrony, n. menology a calendar of months. mensality the state or condition of occurring monthly. metachronism a chronological error in which an event is assigned a date after its real one. Cf. parachronism. —metachronic, adj. microchronometer an instrument for measuring extremely small time intervals. —microchronometric, adj. obsolescence the process or condition of going out of date or being no longer in use. —obsolescent, adj. parachronism the dating of an event as later than its actual occurrence. Cf. prochronism. —parachronic, adj. phenology the study of natural phenomena that occur periodically, as migration or blossoming, and their relation to climate and changes of season. —phenologist, n. —phenological, adj. photochronograph 1. a camera for recording motion by a series of photographs taken at brief intervals. 2. the photograph so produced. 3. a camera that records the exact time of the event it is photographing by exposing a moving sensitized plate to the tracing of a thin beam of light synchronized with the event. prevenience the act or state of preceding or coming before. —prevenient, adj. prochronism the dating of an event as earlier than its actual occurrence. Cf. parachronism. —prochronic, adj. quotiety the proportionate frequency at which an event takes place. See also numbers. sempiternity the state or quality of being eternal, without beginning or end. —sempiternal, adj. synchronism, synchrony a coincidence in time; simultaneity. Cf. asynchronism. —synchronistic, synchronistical, adj. synchronology an arrangement of events by date, grouping together all those of the same date; a comparative chronology. —synchronological, adj. transience, transiency the state or quality of passing with time or being ephemeral or fleeting. —transient, adj.time
Interjection
- (tennis) Reminder by the umpire for the players to continue playing after their pause.
Noun
(countable and uncountable, plural times)
- (uncountable) The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present events into the past.
- Time stops for nobody. the ebb and flow of time
- A duration of time.
- (uncountable) A quantity of availability of duration.
- More time is needed to complete the project. You had plenty of time, but you waited until the last minute. Are you finished yet? Time's up!
- (countable) A measurement of a quantity of time; a numerical or general indication of a length of progression.
- a long time; Record the individual times for the processes in each batch. Only your best time is compared with the other competitors. The algorithm runs in O(n2) time.
- (uncountable, slang) The serving of a prison sentence.
- The judge leniently granted a sentence with no hard time. He is not living at home because he is doing time.
- (countable) An experience.
- We had a wonderful time at the party.
- (countable) An era; (with the, sometimes in plural) the current era, the current state of affairs.
- Roman times; the time of the dinosaurs
- (uncountable, with possessive) A person's youth or young adulthood, as opposed to the present day.
- In my time, we respected our elders.
- (only in singular, sports and figuratively) Time out; temporary, limited suspension of play.
- (uncountable) A quantity of availability of duration.
- An instant of time.
- (uncountable) How much of a day has passed; the moment, as indicated by a clock or similar device.
- Excuse me, have you got the time? What time is it, do you guess? Ten o'clock? A computer keeps time using a clock battery.
- (countable) A particular moment or hour; the appropriate moment or hour for something (especially with prepositional phrase or imperfect subjunctive).
- it's time for bed; it's time to sleep; we must wait for the right time; it's time we were going
- (countable) A numerical indication of a particular moment.
- at what times do the trains arrive?; these times were erroneously converted between zones
- (countable) An instance or occurrence.
- When was the last time we went out? I don't remember.
- see you another time; that's three times he's made the same mistake
- Okay, but this is the last time. No more after that!
- (UK, of pubs) Closing time.
- Last call: it's almost time.
- The hour of childbirth.
- (uncountable) How much of a day has passed; the moment, as indicated by a clock or similar device.
- (countable) The measurement under some system of region of day or moment.
- Let's synchronize our watches so we're not on different time.
- (countable) Ratio of comparison.
- your car runs three times faster than mine; that is four times as heavy as this
- (grammar, dated) Tense.
- the time of a verb
- (music) The measured duration of sounds; measure; tempo; rate of movement; rhythmical division.
- common or triple time; the musician keeps good time.
Usage notes
Verb
(third-person singular simple present times, present participle timing, simple past and past participle timed)
- To measure or record the time, duration, or rate of.
- I used a stopwatch to time myself running around the block.
- To choose when something begins or how long it lasts.
- The President timed his speech badly, coinciding with the Super Bowl.
- The bomb was timed to explode at 9:20 p.m.
- To regulate as to time; to accompany, or agree with, in time of movement.
- To measure, as in music or harmony.
Origin
From Middle English time, tyme, from Old English tÄ«ma (“time, period, space of time, season, lifetime, fixed time, favorable time, opportunity"), from Proto-Germanic *tÄ«mô (“time"), from Proto-Indo-European *dÄ«- (“time"). Cognate with Scots tym, tyme (“time"), Alemannic German Zimen, ZÄ«mmän (“time, time of the year, opportune time, opportunity"), Danish time (“stound, hour, lesson"), Swedish timme (“stound, hour"), Norwegian time (“time, stound, hour"), Faroese tÃmi (“hour, lesson, time"), Icelandic tÃmi (“time, season"). See also tide.
time - Legal Definition
n
Slang
- A measure of continuity, or duration.
- A certain point in a given duration when something is said to have occurred.
- The period of incarceration of a convicted criminal. See also reasonable time.
