Time is a fundamental part of our lives, and understanding idiomatic expressions related to time can significantly enhance your English skills. In this blog post, we will explore 20 idioms and phrasal verbs related to time, providing their meanings and example sentences to help you use them effectively in conversation.
1. Beat the clock
Meaning: Finish before the deadline
Example: We need to beat the clock on this project.
2. Behind the times
Meaning: Old-fashioned
Example: His fashion sense is behind the times.
3. In the nick of time
Meaning: Just in time
Example: They arrived in the nick of time.
4. Against the clock
Meaning: Rushed or hurried
Example: We’re working against the clock to finish.
5. Bide your time
Meaning: Wait patiently
Example: She decided to bide her time before responding.
6. Call it a day
Meaning: Stop working for the day
Example: Let’s call it a day and go home.
7. Crack of dawn
Meaning: Very early morning
Example: We left at the crack of dawn.
8. From dawn to dusk
Meaning: All day long
Example: They worked from dawn to dusk.
9. Hit the big time
Meaning: Become successful
Example: She hit the big time with her new song.
10. In the long run
Meaning: Over a long period
Example: It’ll be worth it in the long run.
11. Make up for lost time
Meaning: Catch up quickly
Example: We need to make up for lost time.
12. Once in a blue moon
Meaning: Very rarely
Example: He visits his family once in a blue moon.
13. On the dot
Meaning: Exactly on time
Example: The meeting starts at 9 a.m. on the dot.
14. Play for time
Meaning: Delay deliberately
Example: He tried to play for time during negotiations.
15. Time flies
Meaning: Time passes quickly
Example: Time flies when you’re having fun.
16. Time’s up
Meaning: Time is over
Example: Time’s up for the test.
17. Turn back the clock
Meaning: Go back to the past
Example: We can’t turn back the clock now.
18. Around the clock
Meaning: All day and night
Example: The store is open around the clock.
19. At the eleventh hour
Meaning: At the last moment
Example: He submitted his report at the eleventh hour.
20. Behind schedule
Meaning: Late
Example: The project is behind schedule by a week.
