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[tahym] /taɪm/

noun
1.
the system of those sequential relations that any event has to any other, as past, present, or future; indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another.
2.
duration regarded as belonging to the present life as distinct from the life to come or from eternity; finite duration.
3.
(sometimes initial capital letter) a system or method of measuring or reckoning the passage of time:
mean time; apparent time; Greenwich Time.
4.
a limited period or interval, as between two successive events:
a long time.
5.
a particular period considered as distinct from other periods:
Youth is the best time of life.
6.
Often, times.

7.
a prescribed or allotted period, as of one’s life, for payment of a debt, etc.
8.
the end of a prescribed or allotted period, as of one’s life or a pregnancy:
His time had come, but there was no one left to mourn over him. When her time came, her husband accompanied her to the delivery room.
9.
a period with reference to personal experience of a specified kind:
to have a good time; a hot time in the old town tonight.
10.
a period of work of an employee, or the pay for it; working hours or days or an hourly or daily pay rate.
11.
Informal. a term of enforced duty or imprisonment:
to serve time in the army; do time in prison.
12.
the period necessary for or occupied by something:
The time of the baseball game was two hours and two minutes. The bus takes too much time, so I’ll take a plane.
13.
leisure time; sufficient or spare time:
to have time for a vacation; I have no time to stop now.
14.
a particular or definite point in time, as indicated by a clock:
What time is it?
15.
a particular part of a year, day, etc.; season or period:
It’s time for lunch.
16.
an appointed, fit, due, or proper instant or period:
a time for sowing; the time when the sun crosses the meridian; There is a time for everything.
17.
the particular point in time when an event is scheduled to take place:
train time; curtain time.
18.
an indefinite, frequently prolonged period or duration in the future:
Time will tell if what we have done here today was right.
19.
the right occasion or opportunity:
to watch one’s time.
20.
each occasion of a recurring action or event:
to do a thing five times; It’s the pitcher’s time at bat.
21.
times, used as a multiplicative word in phrasal combinations expressing how many instances of a quantity or factor are taken together:
Two goes into six three times; five times faster.
22.
Drama. one of the three unities.
Compare (def 8).
23.
Prosody. a unit or a group of units in the measurement of meter.
24.
Music.

25.
Military. rate of marching, calculated on the number of paces taken per minute:
double time; quick time.
26.
Manège. each completed action or movement of the horse.
adjective
27.
of, relating to, or showing the passage of time.
28.
(of an explosive device) containing a clock so that it will detonate at the desired moment:
a time bomb.
29.
Commerce. payable at a stated period of time after presentment:
time drafts or notes.
30.
of or relating to purchases on the installment plan, or with payment postponed.
verb (used with object), timed, timing.
31.
to measure or record the speed, duration, or rate of:
to time a race.
32.
to fix the duration of:
The proctor timed the test at 15 minutes.
33.
to fix the interval between (actions, events, etc.):
They timed their strokes at six per minute.
34.
to regulate (a train, clock, etc.) as to time.
35.
to appoint or choose the moment or occasion for; schedule:
He timed the attack perfectly.
verb (used without object), timed, timing.
36.
to keep time; sound or move in unison.
Idioms
37.
against time, in an effort to finish something within a limited period:
We worked against time to get out the newspaper.
38.
ahead of time, before the time due; early:
The building was completed ahead of time.
39.
at one time,

40.
at the same time, nevertheless; yet:
I’d like to try it, but at the same time I’m a little afraid.
41.
at times, at intervals; occasionally:
At times the city becomes intolerable.
42.
beat someone’s time, Slang. to compete for or win a person being dated or courted by another; prevail over a rival:
He accused me, his own brother, of trying to beat his time.
43.
behind the times, old-fashioned; dated:
These attitudes are behind the times.
44.
for the time being, temporarily; for the present:
Let’s forget about it for the time being.
45.
from time to time, on occasion; occasionally; at intervals:
She comes to see us from time to time.
46.
gain time, to postpone in order to make preparations or gain an advantage; delay the outcome of:
He hoped to gain time by putting off signing the papers for a few days more.
47.
in good time,

48.
in no time, in a very brief time; almost at once:
Working together, they cleaned the entire house in no time.
49.
in time,

50.
keep time,

51.
kill time, to occupy oneself with some activity to make time pass quickly:
While I was waiting, I killed time counting the cars on the freight trains.
52.
make time,

53.
make time with, Slang. to pursue or take as a sexual partner.
54.
many a time, again and again; frequently:
Many a time they didn’t have enough to eat and went to bed hungry.
55.
mark time,

56.
on one’s own time, during one’s free time; without payment:
He worked out more efficient production methods on his own time.
57.
on time,

58.
out of time, not in the proper rhythm:
His singing was out of time with the music.
59.
pass the time of day, to converse briefly with or greet someone:
The women would stop in the market to pass the time of day.
60.
take one’s time, to be slow or leisurely; dawdle:
Speed was important here, but he just took his time.
61.
time after time, again and again; repeatedly; often:
I’ve told him time after time not to slam the door.
62.
time and time again, repeatedly; often:
Time and time again I warned her to stop smoking.
Also, time and again.
63.
time of life, (one’s) age:
At your time of life you must be careful not to overdo things.
64.
time of one’s life, Informal. an extremely enjoyable experience:
They had the time of their lives on their trip to Europe.
noun
1.

/taɪm/
noun
1.

2.
(physics) a quantity measuring duration, usually with reference to a periodic process such as the rotation of the earth or the vibration of electromagnetic radiation emitted from certain atoms. In classical mechanics, time is absolute in the sense that the time of an event is independent of the observer. According to the theory of relativity it depends on the observer’s frame of reference. Time is considered as a fourth coordinate required, along with three spatial coordinates, to specify an event See caesium clock, second2 (sense 1), space-time
3.
a specific point on this continuum expressed in terms of hours and minutes: the time is four o’clock
4.
a system of reckoning for expressing time: Greenwich mean time
5.

6.

7.
an unspecified interval; a while: I was there for a time
8.
(often pl) a period or point marked by specific attributes or events: the Victorian times, time for breakfast
9.
a sufficient interval or period: have you got time to help me?
10.
an instance or occasion: I called you three times
11.
an occasion or period of specified quality: have a good time, a miserable time
12.
the duration of human existence
13.
the heyday of human life: in her time she was a great star
14.
a suitable period or moment: it’s time I told you
15.
the expected interval in which something is done: the flying time from New York to London was seven hours
16.
a particularly important moment, esp childbirth or death: her time had come
17.
(pl) indicating a degree or amount calculated by multiplication with the number specified: ten times three is thirty, he earns four times as much as me
18.
(often pl) the fashions, thought, etc, of the present age (esp in the phrases ahead of one’s time, behind the times)
19.
(Brit) (in bars, pubs, etc) short for closing time
20.
(informal) a term in jail (esp in the phrase do time)
21.

22.
Also (esp US) metre

23.
(music) short for time value
24.
(prosody) a unit of duration used in the measurement of poetic metre; mora
25.
against time, in an effort to complete something in a limited period
26.
ahead of time, before the deadline
27.
all in good time, in due course
28.
all the time, continuously
29.
at one time

30.
at the same time

31.
at times, sometimes
32.
beat time, (of a conductor, etc) to indicate the tempo or pulse of a piece of music by waving a baton or a hand, tapping out the beats, etc
33.
before one’s time, prematurely
34.
for the time being, for the moment; temporarily
35.
from time to time, at intervals; occasionally
36.
gain time, See gain1 (sense 9)
37.
have no time for, to have no patience with; not tolerate
38.
in good time

39.
in no time, very quickly; almost instantaneously
40.
in one’s own time

41.
in time

42.
keep time, to observe correctly the accent or rhythmic pulse of a piece of music in relation to tempo
43.
lose time, (of a timepiece) to operate too slowly
44.
lose no time, to do something without delay
45.
make time

46.
See mark1 (sense 35)
47.
in the nick of time, at the last possible moment; at the critical moment
48.
on time

49.
pass the time of day, to exchange casual greetings (with an acquaintance)
50.
(Scot) time about, alternately; turn and turn about
51.
time and again, frequently
52.
time off, a period when one is absent from work for a holiday, through sickness, etc
53.
(Austral) time on, an additional period played at the end of a match, to compensate for time lost through injury or (in certain circumstances) to allow the teams to achieve a conclusive result Also called (in Britain and certain other countries) extra time
54.
time out of mind, from time immemorial
55.
time of one’s life, a memorably enjoyable time
56.
(modifier) operating automatically at or for a set time, for security or convenience: time lock, time switch
verb (transitive)
57.
to ascertain or calculate the duration or speed of
58.
to set a time for
59.
to adjust to keep accurate time
60.
to pick a suitable time for
61.
(sport) to control the execution or speed of (an action, esp a shot or stroke) so that it has its full effect at the right moment
interjection
62.
the word called out by a publican signalling that it is closing time
n.

Old English tima “limited space of time,” from Proto-Germanic *timon “time” (cf. Old Norse timi “time, proper time,” Swedish timme “an hour”), from PIE *di-mon-, from root *da- “cut up, divide” (see tide).

Abstract sense of “time as an indefinite continuous duration” is recorded from late 14c. Personified since at least 1509 as an aged bald man (but with a forelock) carrying a scythe and an hour-glass. In English, a single word encompasses time as “extent” and “point” (French temps/fois, German zeit/mal) as well as “hour” (e.g. “what time is it?” cf. French heure, German Uhr). Extended senses such as “occasion,” “the right time,” “leisure,” or times (v.) “multiplied by” developed in Old and Middle English, probably as a natural outgrowth of phrases like, “He commends her a hundred times to God” (Old French La comande a Deu cent foiz).

to have a good time ( = a time of enjoyment) was common in Eng. from c 1520 to c 1688; it was app. retained in America, whence readopted in Britain in 19th c. [OED]

Time of day (now mainly preserved in negation, i.e. what someone won’t give you if he doesn’t like you) was a popular 17c. salutation (e.g. “Good time of day vnto your Royall Grace,” “Richard III,” I.iii.18). Times as the name of a newspaper dates from 1788. Time warp first attested 1954; time capsule first recorded 1938, in reference to New York World’s Fair; time-traveling in the science fiction sense first recorded 1895 in H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine.” To do time “serve a prison sentence” is from 1865. Time frame is attested by 1964; time line (also timeline) by 1890; time-limit is from 1880. About time, ironically for “long past due time,” is recorded from 1920. Behind the times “old-fashioned” is recorded from 1846, first attested in Dickens.

v.

Old English getimian “to happen, befall,” from time (n.). Meaning “to appoint a time” (of an action, etc.) is attested from c.1300; sense of “to record the time of” (a race, event, etc.) is first attested 1660s. Related: Timed; timing.

time (tīm)
n.

time
(tīm)

Related Terms

bad time, the big time, double-time, flying time, give someone a hard time, good time, have oneself a time, make time, make time with someone, rack duty, sack time, the small time, street time

interjection

An exclamation of triumph, achievement, etc

Related Terms

the tall timbers

[1912+; fr the cry of loggers as a tree begins to fall]