1mass noun The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

1. 1.1 The continued progress of existence as affecting people and things.
   things were getting better as time passed

   Example sentencesExamples

   • He didn't have a whole lot of time to write the rest of this, but he'd do his best.
   • Well, we didn't and we got the programme together in a very short space of time.
   • I am aware, as time passes, that adults talk about this, and that it makes them laugh.
   • I feel sure as time passes by more and more will join the growing numbers in this wonderful pastime.
   • But the point is, it is not so much what you do, but who you pass your time with and in what mood you are.
   • I guess Camden's time has passed and this new station is a part of that, but it'll be shame to see it go.
   • At the moment he divides his time between there and London, but he'd prefer to be more settled.
   • She suffers near constant pain and the restrictions on her life increase as time passes.
   • Soon they were talking about subjects that related not to pillows and time continued to tick on.
   • The day will slip away from us as time passes, but not the clarity of the actions we took together in response.
   • It would be revealing to return in five years' time to see whether Balgrean has stood the test of time.
   • Bob always had time to treat the whole person and was a first class diagnostician.
   • Because so much time has passed, the case can only be conducted under war crimes legislation.
   • Freya thought about having to entertain guests every night for an indefinite period of time.
   • Several decades of time have passed by as quickly as the clouds have been blown away.
   • I guess now enough time has passed for you to hear all about my Roskilde romance.
   • We were going to have to get very busy and make a lot of contacts if we were to achieve our objectives in such a short space of time.
   • So many mishaps in so short a space of time is a sure sign that there is something seriously wrong with the complex.
   • This could have happened over a short space of time or over a number of years.
   • It took time for the event to grab the limelight, but its potential was soon to be realised.
2. 1.2 Time or an amount of time as reckoned by a conventional standard.
   it's eight o'clock New York Time

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Eastern Standard Time (EST) operates in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland.
   • I told him what happened and he gave you an extension: it has to be in Washington by midnight our time.
   • At 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, we set our clocks forward one hour ahead of standard time.
3. 1.3 The personification of time, typically as an old man with a scythe and hourglass.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • He's almost like America's version of Father Time.
   • Power began to flow out from Father Time's scythe.
   • As a result, Scotland loses people in their most productive years, while it gains those whose contribution to the economy is severely limited by Father Time.
   • They have some very promising youngsters coming through as Father Time catches up with a few of their long serving stalwarts.
   • Finally the seasons were chased away by Father Time, ending the tableaux.
   • However Bruce needs no carrot greater than the one provided by Father Time.
   • Of course a century and a half is a long time, especially if one's a fruit fly or a figment of someone's imagination, yet in another sense it's a mere drop in the blessed bucket of Father Time.
   • At the same time, he is torn by his affection for the Old Guard, the players who have provided sterling service, but who can only defy Father Time for so long.
   • ‘If I can deliver presents all around the world in one night,’ Santa claims, ‘I sure can get you back to Father Time's Castle in a few Bongs!’
   • Yet Father Time may may yet catch up with the fiery Lancashireman.

2A point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon.

1. 2.1 A moment or definite portion of time allotted, used, or suitable for a purpose.
   the scheduled departure time

   shall we fix a time for the meeting?

   Example sentencesExamples

   • So, similarly, most things in the middle of the night or before you get up can be ruled out; they are not suitable times.
   • He blamed these changes for the varying departure times of 13 buses on two days in March from the station last year.
   • Some GUM clinics have drop in times, when you don't need to make an appointment.
   • A tidal entrance to the harbour at Hayle restricts departure and return times.
   • What is important at the present time is to try to understand their position today.
   • Hartley has every right to be upbeat and optimistic about his life at the present time.
   • Not being allowed to stay there at peak times defeated the purpose of the exercise.
   • The dance and drama classes are enrolling on next Friday night at the usual times.
   • Do set a limit for how loud the music can be, and a definite time for when it must stop.
   • Also, there are no other suitable times for input on prevention of relapse before patients are discharged.
   • Since departure times are often revised, my evidence suddenly looks less than conclusive.
   • Dates and times were fixed for all competitions and clubs had to adhere to all these dates.
   • Retail is not strong enough in Swindon at the present time to cross over the lines.
   • And at our time of departure the man who was talking the woman into bed was just glad of our seat.
   • It claims to have monthly meetings but does not publicly advertise the dates and times to its own community.
   • To take up the offer to meet with her please contact the home to arrange a suitable time.
   • A real-time system would allow users to see delays and would give new estimated departure times.
   • In notebooks, he meticulously recorded arrival and departure times of trains at stations.
   • The best way to avoid these problems is to follow nature's prescription of suitable times to eat.
   • Departure and arrival times at Lerwick and Aberdeen will be unaffected.
   • We get out big numbers especially at the peak times in the mornings and evenings to catch the scab buses.
2. 2.2often time for/to do something The favourable or appropriate time to do something.
   it was time to go

   it's time for bed

   Example sentencesExamples

   • This continues until it becomes time for that player to play a shot in which case the roles reverse.
   • Surely now is the time for the medical profession and the public to work together.
   • Is now the time to reflect on past mistakes and work together towards a better Swindon?
   • Summer camp is normally a time for playing sports and enjoying the great outdoors.
   • It is time to examine the whole operation to see where real added value can be achieved.
   • Well, I use the Autumn equinox as a time to say goodbye to Summer and to welcome the fall.
   • At the appropriate time, a subsequent order is issued that states the actual day and times.
   • My university years were a time to rediscover the joys of the darkened cinema.
   • The questions that follow from that for us can obviously be discussed at the appropriate time.
   • He said he would wait for a more appropriate time to put the questions to the Government.
   • The night ended at midnight, which was about the right time for me, and I felt really happy.
   • Clearly it is time for standards and guidelines on best practice for all professionals.
   • After the funeral comes the wake, the time for contemplation as the past releases its grip.
   • Refrigerate for a good hour or so before serving, so that the whole thing has time to come together.

   Synonyms

   moment, point, point in time, occasion, hour, minute, second, instant, juncture, stage, phase
3. 2.3a time An indefinite period.
   travelling always distorts one's feelings for a time

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It reminded me of a time many years before when a guy asked me did I want to come in for coffee.
   • For a time, the courts were tolerant of this aggressive litigation, but some landmark legal judgments in the last month have effectively stalled this.
   • The worst day was the end of the month, a time when his funds were close to drying up.
   • I can remember a time only a few years ago when Leeds away was one of the toughest fixtures on the list.
   • Yet there may come a time when this era is remembered in some form of golden haze.
   • And there are definitely times where the momentum of the mix flags slightly.
   • For a time I thought he was writing about Los Angeles.

   Synonyms

   while, spell, stretch, stint, span, season, interval, period, period of time, length of time, duration, run, space, phase, stage, term

   British informal patch
4. 2.4also times A portion of time in history or characterized by particular events or circumstances.
   Victorian times

   at the time of Galileo

   the park is beautiful at this time of year

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Both churches, parts of which are thought to date back to Saxon times, are now surrounded by scaffolding.
   • There are times in the history of any company where change in senior leadership makes sense.
   • Let me take you back a few years, to a time when a young man happily ate, drank and was rather too merry!
   • Life in Lille became darker by the month and a time came when Bobby could stand no more.
   • In light of this discovery, all three women must come to terms with a time thought forgotten.
   • People have this vision of childhood as being a time of innocence and playing dolls.
   • It is a trip which is a must for any person who wants to get a sense of a past time.
   • The town of Beckenham dates back to Saxon times, though Iron Age and Roman remains have also been found.
   • This is a time of year when many Americans take to the roads for their summer holidays.
   • This is a fight that's been going on not only in modern history but in Biblical times.
   • There was a time last year when I thought I needed to move into the centre and it happened.
   • Yeltsin's reign was a time for casting your net wide and seeing how much you could catch.
   • We truly are entering one of the most important times in world history.
   • This was the time when all middle class families felt uncomfortable about food.
   • That tells us about a time in the past when sheep were the mainstay of the economy.
   • Surely the time is past when the Caucasian peoples had to think of Persia as an enemy.
   • One of the fascinations of stamps is that they broadly reflect the history of their times.
   • At different times in its history, such a system might be structured as either anarchy or hierarchy.
   • We can also search for variations in at even earlier times in the history of the universe.
   • In a time of heightened security one would think they would know where all the luggage was.

   Synonyms

   era, age, epoch, period, aeon, years, days

   generation, date
5. 2.5also times The conditions of life during a particular period.
   times have changed

   Example sentencesExamples

   • We are not, as people would have you believe, living in historic times in this country.
   • I don't deny that we all live in troubled times, whatever minority we come from.
   • The Benevolent Fund helps former players who have hit on hard times.
   • It is not an environment which encourages dressing room unity when times are hard.
   • These are troubled times for Agassi on the court as well as off it.
   • The story is a poignant narrative of the troubled times we live in when communal riots tear the couple apart.
   • This book is an amazing testimony to the power of the intellect and of steadfast faith in very troubled times.
   • I have another two months of steady work too, which is the sort of news one likes to hear in these troubled times.
   • Chris decided to change careers because changing market conditions meant bleak times for many producers.
   • He had said before how he thought that he would have been good ruling in troubled times.
   • I don't, for a moment, pretend that times are not tough and may well get tougher.
   • She was a good parishioner and the best of mothers, who raised a family in hard times and was never heard to grumble.
   • I think in these troubled times, it takes the world's artists to express what is on all our minds.
   • In different times and conditions, we might call upon experts to help us, and not just with the bowling.
   • I know, it sounds silly to say that you go through hard times with someone you've never met, but we did.
   • Daniel said that the centre had given him support and stability through hard times.
   • In my book, McCoy was banned because the stewards did not want to be seen to be doing nothing in the midst of these troubled times.
   • A lot of men and women left this country when times were hard and prospered in foreign lands.
   • He hadn't been dealt life's best hand it has to be said, and he knew more downs than ups in troubled times.
   • Mata Gujri was an inspiring force during one of the most difficult times in Sikh history.

   Synonyms

   situation, state of affairs, experience, life, way of life
6. 2.6 Used in names of newspapers.
   the Oxford Times

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Today, however, a Times reporter suggests congressional reform is dead.
   • At the very least, a Times reporter should reinvestigate both the Russian and Iraqi ends of this story.
   • In Seattle, where fish are obviously more important, the story was front-page banner headline news for the Times.
   • Plagiarism has almost become mainstream in India now, with even a Times of India journalist indulging in the shameful act.
   • A year ago, a Times Arts reporter endeavored to find out.
   • Today a Times editorial came down squarely on the side of civil liberties.
   • Given these facts, why does a Times reporter write that moral values were the ‘defining issue’?
   • Even on professional assignment, it just didn't look right for a Times journalist to be seen rummaging about in bin-bags.
   • A check by a Times reporter at the site yesterday found vehicles and heavy trucks loaded with bags of maize crossing through the bridge.
   • John Delane was aged 23 when in 1841 he became editor of The Times, then London's leading newspaper.
   • This is not the headline a Times subeditor might have chosen, nor any fair-minded one, because it made Mr Bower's argument even sillier than it was in the first place.
   • This was one of the best pieces in a series on race that won a Pulitzer Prize for the Times.
   • For many years the London newspaper, The Times, carried an advertisement for colonic irrigation on its front page.
   • Meanwhile, a Times reporter in Kitwe reported that car dealers there have bemoaned the increase on excise duty on imported saloon cars.
   • Previously I had been a Times staff reporter based in New York for many years.
   • Because The Times separates news and editorial operations, he has no involvement in the editorial pages of the newspaper.
   • He told a Times journalist that he intended to improve living standards for the poor, and that the bourgeoisie had some nasty surprises in store.
   • The realistic front-runner is Keller, currently a Times op-ed columnist writer and Sunday magazine writer.
   • Editorial insertions of stereotypes and fabrications into a Times reporter's copy extended at least into the 1980s.
   • For there are a number of more subtle biases to be perceived by readers of newspapers like The Times - and other media as well.
7. 2.7one's time One's lifetime.
   I've known a lot of women in my time

   Example sentencesExamples

   • I have seen some terrible things in my time.
   • I have always been into sports (in my time I have played/done cricket, badminton, circuit training, kick boxing, circuit training and even rock climbing!

   Synonyms

   lifetime, life, life span, allotted span, days, time on earth, existence, threescore years and ten

   this mortal coil

   informal born days
8. 2.8one's time The successful, fortunate, or influential part of a person's life or career.
   in my time that was unheard of

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Fiammetta relishes his time in the spotlight.
   • But he took the news well, in part because he knows his time will come soon.
   • He hasn't grudged Andy a moment of his time in the spotlight but has been desperate for a taste of it of his own.
   • He may not be ready quite yet, but if he continues to progress Nieminen's time will come soon.

   Synonyms

   heyday, day, hour, prime, best days/years, youth, vigour, springtime, salad days, maturity
9. 2.9one's time The appropriate or expected time for something, in particular childbirth or death.
   he seemed old before his time

   Example sentencesExamples

   • I wanted to give the impression of a man old before his time and an almost stylised unnaturalistic feel to the model.
   • The anger still lingered even now, but then the shock had been such that she gave birth before her time.
   • Ask the mother who has given birth to a child before time.
10. 2.10 An apprenticeship.
    engineering officers traditionally served their time as fitters in the yards

    Example sentencesExamples

    • Jamie had served his time as a joiner and had worked in the. construction industry for the past 15 years.
    • Rob served his time as a plasterer and has over 33 years trade experience in the wall and floor tiling profession.
11. 2.11dated A period of menstruation or pregnancy.
    Example sentencesExamples

    • To occupy her time, she had been thinking of writing a biography of her husband.
12. 2.12mass noun The normal rate of pay for time spent working.
    if called out at the weekend they are paid time and a half

    Example sentencesExamples

    • The Fair Labor Standards Act has no requirement for double time pay.
    • Anyone who works these holidays must give up the payments of double time and time and a half.
    • Under the Holidays Act, if an employee works on any public holiday, that work now attracts a minimum payment of time and a half.
13. 2.13 The length of time taken to run a race or complete an event or journey.
    his time for the mile was 3:49.31

    Example sentencesExamples

    • Time for the 1,500 meters was 1: 29.48.
    • Time for the seven furlongs on a soft turf was 1: 41.
    • The second record was broken by six seconds with a time of three minutes and 26 seconds.
    • This left censoring tends to overestimates of the time from seroconversion to a given stage.
    • Journey times were halved, so they were able to pick up more fares.
    • He ran the third best time in history over 5,000 meters in the U.S. trials in 1972.
    • There is an agreed need for improved investment in the NHS and action to reduce waiting times.
    • The lights were designed to improve bus journey times but according to residents they made traffic problems worse.
    • Time for the six furlongs on at fast track was 1: 11.20.
    • His time in the event was unimportant, and that applies to many of the races he competes in these days.
    • We introduced the first chest pain specialist nurse in the region in my centre and have some of the best door to needle times.
    • A year later, he did the second Bolton marathon and knocked an hour off the time.
    • Time for the 2,400 meters was 2: 33.62.
    • Similarly, the emphasis on waiting times for day surgery leads to a grotesque distortion of priorities.
    • Time for the 1,600 meters was 1: 42.50.
    • He added the lane had improved journey times for the 89 bus on that stretch of road by a minute.
    • We assessed the rate of patients undergoing endoscopy as well as the time to first relapse.
    • They include adding a minute per mile to the journey time and having enough petrol.
    • Journey times between Manchester Piccadilly and London St Pancras are just over three hours.
    • Rates of advanced neoplasia use the time between the first and last surveillance.
14. 2.14British The moment at which the opening hours of a pub end.
    the landlord called time

    Example sentencesExamples

    • Outsiders might think that the York Beer Festival is all about getting as much quality real ale down your neck before time is called.
15. 2.15
    he scored the third five minutes from time

    short for "full time"

    Example sentencesExamples

    • Unfortunately, within ten minutes of the second half the hosts breached the Acomb defence twice before Acomb plundered a consolation reply a minute before time.
    • If this had been a boxing match the ref would have stopped the contest a good 15 minutes before time.
    • John Lea was again called on with the boot and extended Lismore's lead with a penalty a quarter of an hour before time.
    • Unfortunately, Vines was forced off with a knee injury after 21 minutes and Watts made way for former Dulwich Hamlet man Peter Adeniyi four minutes before time.
    • Two minutes before time he latched on to James Okoli's through-ball and coolly slotted the ball past Leigh Walker in the visitors' goal.
    • Pandiani had opened the scoring after a goalmouth melee before Dennis Bergkamp forced home an equaliser two minutes before time.
    • They fell 2-1 behind to an Andy Cole goal 12 minutes from time.
    • The teams were level at the break 0-3 each, and 0-6 each 15 minutes before time.
    • Eventually, ten minutes before time, some more fantastic link-up play with Sullivan enabled Doak to slip the winner into the side netting.
    • However Castlecuffe slipped behind in the second half but the girls rallied and piled on the pressure and were back in the lead, minutes before time.
    • Aloisi, who had replaced midfielder Cesar Palacios eight minutes earlier, pounced just before time to earn Osasuna a deserved draw.
    • Try of the afternoon came from David Whitehouse, who ran 75 metres to put his team unassailably ahead 13 minutes before time.
    • Howey, who trains with Dartford Judokwai Club, lost to yuko from Roberge, and although she managed a koka she could not find a winning move before time elapsed.
    • Klose's final goal came just seven minutes from time.
16. 2.16American Football Baseball A moment at which play stops temporarily within a game.
    the umpire called time

    Example sentencesExamples

    • To your first question in regards to calling time, that is up to the umpire s judgement whether to call time or not.
    • Baseball players and managers of the offensive and defensive team, as well as umpires, can request time out for a number of purposes.

3mass noun Time as allotted, available, or used.

1. 3.1informal A prison sentence.
   he was doing time for fraud

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Rumors were she would get about three years' jail time.
   • They may serve time in prison, but they also receive treatment for their addiction.
   • As you read this article, 15,000 destitute dads are spending time behind bars.
   • He had a record for burglary stretching back to when he was 13 and had done time in prison.
   • The fact that he's served his time makes no difference given the way the law is phrased.
   • The prison experience should not be a happy one; it should be a lot harder to do time than at present.
   • Any other released prisoner who has served his time would be offered a fresh start.
   • I hope that the strong attitude that saw me through my career will see me through my time in prison.
   • He faces a possible court martial and time in military prison for his action.
   • By law once they've served their time they are then free, a clean slate in a sense.

   Synonyms

   prison term, prison sentence, jail sentence, penal sentence

4An instance of something happening or being done; an occasion.

1. 4.1 An event, occasion, or period experienced in a particular way.
   she was having a rough time of it

   Example sentencesExamples

   • This has been a busy season full of good times and reflective moments for our team.
   • Although Crook had a tough time in his teens, he insists it did not traumatise him.
   • The company does not expect a hefty compensation bill as other insurers have also experienced tough times.
   • I started very young and I've had wonderful experiences as well as some tough times.
   • Our tour to Prague last week was very successful and a great time was had by all.
   • Sleep involves five main stages and the brain cycles through these stages several times in the night.
   • That's the thing about Diamond, he's experienced the bad times but he's unbowed.
   • I took some time off to go down to Cambridge for a friend's wedding, and a good time was had by all.
   • Although his humour is dark and satirical it is also fiercely funny, and a good time was had by all.
   • Her task is to bring together directors to share their knowledge and experiences, when times are tough as well as good.
   • The mayor is boasting that the city is experiencing unprecedented good times.
   • These are trying times for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
   • If we'd relied on self-adhesive labels in the past we'd be experiencing very difficult times now.
   • They seemed to focus only on times and experiences when our family was truly enjoying each other.
   • But when the economy turned down and times got tough they raised interest charges to penal levels.
   • We cannot come to appreciate the happy times unless we have experienced the pain of unhappiness.
   • Acne may become worse in times of stress, although it is not clear why.
   • She is over it, she says, but she resents what the whole nightmarish time did to her parents.
   • The trials will, however, be military trials, as is appropriate for a time of war.
   • If anything completing tertiary education should be the beginning of the tough times ahead.
   • We all need to remember that we have our breaking moments, our down times, our weaknesses.
   • Football is not the only one of the town's local trades to be experiencing a boom time in the last few years.
   • It is a great chance for us to give them a bit back from some of the tough times we have experienced on the road.

   Synonyms

   situation, state of affairs, experience, life, way of life

   conditions, circumstances, affairs, surroundings, environment, context, background, ambience, atmosphere

5times(following a number) expressing multiplication.

6mass noun The rhythmic pattern of a piece of music, as expressed by a time signature.

1. 6.1 The tempo at which a piece of music is played or marked to be played.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Reels are written in 2/4 time.
   • The music is written in 3/4 time, which means there are three beats to a bar of music.

1with object and adverbial or infinitive Plan, schedule, or arrange when (something) should happen or be done.

1. 1.1 Perform (an action) at a particular moment.
   Williams timed his pass perfectly from about thirty yards

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The event took place near Norfolk, Virginia, and was perfectly timed.
   • As Liston pawed out with a series of jabs Martin timed the last one perfectly and came over the top with a crunching overhand right.
   • Aftab Habib was run out, but Ackerman's 127-ball innings proved to be perfectly timed - just.
   • Russell's perfectly timed lob into the path of John Joe Maguire saw the Town striker break the offside trap and pull clear of the defence.
   • His cursing was imaginative and perfectly timed, and he put down many a student who deserved it.
   • Dolan admitted Alcide's strike, only his second following his £80,000 switch from Hull, was perfectly timed.
   • Just look at the perfectly timed run he made that led to a goal for Brett Emerton in the 1-0 win over Charlton the other week.
   • And we'll hit it again, perfectly timed, just as the tide turns and the crowd has disappeared.
   • The events of the next few seconds could not have been timed or performed better by the Blue Angels.
   • The blond full-back's pass to Paulse was perfectly timed and the wing made the 22 remaining metres with something to spare.
   • To square it at impact, their extreme forearm rotation must be timed perfectly on the downswing.
   • Perfectly timed for the coming cold comes a dose of relief for us northerners.
   • Pacing is crucial, the set ups must be executed without fault, and the payoff has to be timed perfectly in order to give life to the humor.
   • That defining moment's arrival is timed perfectly by the production crew, and the cast and director build up to it with superb skill.
   • His answer was too perfectly timed, as if he had rehearsed it over and over again.
   • Winger Mark Wallace covered across and caught Owen but the fullback's perfectly timed pass found Calland in support and he ran clear to score.
   • Wilkinson's mature performance with perfectly timed passes and Tig's energy helped to secure the 19-7 win.
   • It is both a private decision and a public one - and perfectly timed.
   • A king's day had to be perfectly timed so that the officers serving the monarch knew exactly what they should do, when, and how.
   • Last night it began, perfectly timed on Christmas eve, to snow.

   Synonyms

   regulate, adjust, calculate, set, synchronize

2with object Measure the time taken by (a process or activity, or a person doing it)

3time outComputing
with object (of a computer or a program) cancel an operation automatically because a predefined interval of time has passed without a certain event happening.

1. 3.1time out (of an operation) be cancelled automatically because a predefined interval of time has passed without a certain event happening.