Time

/taɪm/ intj, noun, verb, slang

intj, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
  • Grammar: time is listed as intj, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: clock time, a leg up, accompany, adjust.
  • Usage evidence: I don't know if I have the time.

How to use "time"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "time" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "time" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "time" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "time" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "time" is acting as intj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "clock time" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "time", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events. uncountable

    "Time stops for nobody. the ebb and flow of time"

  2. 2
    the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past wordnet
  3. 3
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.; The feeling of the passage of events and their relative duration, as experienced by an individual. uncountable

    "Time flies when you're having fun."

  4. 4
    rhythm as given by division into parts of equal duration wordnet
  5. 5
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.; A dimension of spacetime with the opposite metric signature to space dimensions; the fourth dimension. uncountable, usually

    "Both science-fiction writers and physicists have written about travel through time."

Show 32 more definitions
  1. 6
    a person's experience on a particular occasion wordnet
  2. 7
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.; Change associated with the second law of thermodynamics; the physical and psychological result of increasing entropy. uncountable

    "Time slows down when you approach the speed of light."

  3. 8
    an instance or single occasion for some event wordnet
  4. 9
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.; The property of a system which allows it to have more than one distinct configuration. uncountable

    "An essential definition of time should entail neither speed nor direction, just change."

  5. 10
    an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities) wordnet
  6. 11
    A duration of time.; A quantity of availability of duration. uncountable

    "More time is needed to complete the project."

  7. 12
    a reading of a point in time as given by a clock wordnet
  8. 13
    A duration of time.; A measurement of a quantity of time; a numerical or general indication of a length of progression. countable

    "a long time"

  9. 14
    the fourth coordinate that is required (along with three spatial dimensions) to specify a physical event wordnet
  10. 15
    A duration of time.; The serving of a prison sentence. slang, uncountable

    "The judge leniently granted a sentence with no hard time."

  11. 16
    the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned wordnet
  12. 17
    A duration of time.; An experience. countable

    "We had a wonderful time at the party."

  13. 18
    a suitable moment wordnet
  14. 19
    A duration of time.; An era; (articulated, sometimes in the plural) the current era, the current state of affairs. countable

    "Roman times"

  15. 20
    a period of time considered as a resource under your control and sufficient to accomplish something wordnet
  16. 21
    A duration of time.; A person's youth or young adulthood, as opposed to the present day. uncountable

    "In my time, we respected our elders."

  17. 22
    A duration of time.; Time out; temporary, limited suspension of play. countable, figuratively, singular, uncountable
  18. 23
    An instant of time.; The duration of time of a given day that has passed; the moment, as indicated by a clock or similar device. uncountable

    "Excuse me, have you got the time?"

  19. 24
    An instant of time.; A particular moment or hour; the appropriate moment or hour for something (especially with prepositional phrase or imperfect subjunctive). countable

    "it’s time for (you to go to) bed; it’s time to sleep; we must wait for the right time; it's time we were going"

  20. 25
    An instant of time.; A numerical indication of a particular moment. countable

    "At what times do the trains arrive?"

  21. 26
    An instant of time.; An instance or occurrence. countable

    "one more time"

  22. 27
    An instant of time.; Closing time. UK, countable, uncountable

    "Last call: it's almost time."

  23. 28
    An instant of time.; The hour of childbirth. countable, uncountable

    "[…]came well to Exeter; where ſhe intended to ſtay, till ſhe was deliver’d; for ſhe was within little more than one Month of her time;[…]"

  24. 29
    An instant of time.; The end of someone’s life, conceived by the speaker as having been predestined. countable, uncountable

    "It was his time."

  25. 30
    The measurement under some system of region of day or moment. countable

    "Let's synchronize our watches so we're not on different time."

  26. 31
    A ratio of comparison (see also usage notes and prepositional sense at 'times'). countable

    "Your car runs three times faster than mine."

  27. 32
    The measured duration of sounds. uncountable

    "dance time; march time"

  28. 33
    The measured duration of sounds.; Tempo; a measured rate of movement. uncountable

    "The musician keeps good time."

  29. 34
    The measured duration of sounds.; Rhythmical division, meter. uncountable

    "common or triple time; time signature"

  30. 35
    The measured duration of sounds.; (uncountable) A straight rhythmic pattern, free from fills, breaks and other embellishments. countable, uncountable

    "After the introduction, the drummer is to play time."

  31. 36
    Synonym of tense countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "the time of a verb"

  32. 37
    Clipping of a long time. Multicultural-London-English, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, slang, uncountable

    "I used to pay for things but that was time ago."

Verb
  1. 1
    To measure or record the time, duration, or rate of something. transitive

    "I used a stopwatch to time myself running around the block."

  2. 2
    adjust so that a force is applied and an action occurs at the desired time wordnet
  3. 3
    To choose when something commences or its duration. transitive

    "The President timed his speech badly, coinciding with the Super Bowl."

  4. 4
    regulate or set the time of wordnet
  5. 5
    To keep or beat time; to proceed or move in time. obsolete

    "With oar strokes timing to their song."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    measure the time or duration of an event or action or the person who performs an action in a certain period of time wordnet
  2. 7
    To pass time; to delay. obsolete
  3. 8
    assign a time for an activity or event wordnet
  4. 9
    To regulate as to time; to accompany, or agree with, in time of movement.

    "Who overlooked the oars, and timed the stroke."

  5. 10
    set the speed, duration, or execution of wordnet
  6. 11
    To measure, as in music or harmony.
Intj
  1. 1
    Reminder by the umpire for the players to continue playing after their pause.
  2. 2
    The umpire's call in prizefights, etc.
  3. 3
    A call by a bartender to warn patrons that the establishment is closing and no more drinks will be served.

    "Time gentlemen please!"

Synonyms

All synonyms
clock timea leg upaccompanyadjustaeonagain and again

Example

"I don't know if I have the time."

Common questions

What does "time" mean?

The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.

What is a synonym for "time"?

Common synonyms include: clock time, a leg up, accompany, adjust, aeon, again and again.

How do you use "time" in a sentence?

I don't know if I have the time.

How do you pronounce "time"?

Pronounced /taɪm/.

Etymology

From Middle English tyme, time, from Old English tīma (“time, period, space of time, season, lifetime, fixed time, favorable time, opportunity”), from Proto-West Germanic *tīmō, from Proto-Germanic *tīmô (“time”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂imō, from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- (“to divide”). Related to tide. Not related to Latin tempus. Cognates * Scots tym, tyme (“time”) * Alemannic German Zimen, Zīmmän (“time, time of the year, opportune time, opportunity”) * Danish time (“hour, lesson”) * Elfdalian taime (“hour”) * Faroese tími (“hour, lesson, time”) * Icelandic tími (“time, season”) * Norwegian time (“lesson, hour”) * Swedish timma, timme (“hour”).

More for "time"

Synonyms

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