50 Idioms About Time Passing With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms About Time Passing
1. Time flies
Meaning: Time passes very quickly.
In a Sentence: Time flies when you’re having fun. / I can’t believe it’s already July—time flies!
Other Ways to Say: Time zooms by, Time slips away
2. A stitch in time saves nine
Meaning: Fixing a small problem now prevents bigger problems later.
In a Sentence: Fix the hole in your sweater before it gets worse. A stitch in time saves nine.
Other Ways to Say: Better safe than sorry, Fix it before it grows
3. In the blink of an eye
Meaning: Something happens very quickly.
In a Sentence: The summer was over in the blink of an eye. / He disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Other Ways to Say: In a flash, Before you know it
4. In the nick of time
Meaning: Just before it’s too late.
In a Sentence: We arrived in the nick of time for the flight. / The medicine arrived in the nick of time.
Other Ways to Say: Just in time, At the last moment
5. Beat the clock
Meaning: Finish something before a deadline.
In a Sentence: I submitted my application just in time to beat the clock.
Other Ways to Say: Finish before the deadline, Make it just in time
6. Call it a day
Meaning: Decide to stop working for the day.
In a Sentence: Let’s call it a day and go home. / After five hours of coding, I called it a day.
Other Ways to Say: Wrap up, End for today
7. Make up for lost time
Meaning: To do something quickly to compensate for time wasted.
In a Sentence: We worked extra hours to make up for lost time.
Other Ways to Say: Catch up, Recover time
8. Time heals all wounds
Meaning: Emotional pain lessens with time.
In a Sentence: Don’t worry, you’ll feel better—time heals all wounds.
Other Ways to Say: Time makes things better, Give it time
9. Kill time
Meaning: Do something while waiting.
In a Sentence: I played games to kill time at the airport.
Other Ways to Say: Pass the time, Waste time
10. Around the clock
Meaning: Continuously, all day and night.
In a Sentence: The nurses worked around the clock during the emergency.
Other Ways to Say: 24/7, All day long
Idioms for Agreeing with Someone
11. Bide your time
Meaning: Wait patiently for a good opportunity.
In a Sentence: She’s just biding her time before asking for a raise.
Other Ways to Say: Wait it out, Be patient
12. Behind the times
Meaning: Old-fashioned or outdated.
In a Sentence: That computer is really behind the times.
Other Ways to Say: Outdated, Old-school
13. Ahead of your time
Meaning: Very advanced or modern for your time.
In a Sentence: His ideas were ahead of their time.
Other Ways to Say: Innovative, Visionary
14. Time is of the essence
Meaning: Something must be done quickly.
In a Sentence: In emergencies, time is of the essence.
Other Ways to Say: Act quickly, Don’t delay
15. Time will tell
Meaning: The truth or outcome will become clear over time.
In a Sentence: We’ll see if the treatment works—only time will tell.
Other Ways to Say: We’ll find out later, The future will reveal
16. Third time’s a charm
Meaning: The third try is often successful.
In a Sentence: After two failed attempts, the third time’s a charm.
Other Ways to Say: Try again, Persistence pays off
17. Time is money
Meaning: Time is valuable.
In a Sentence: Don’t waste time—time is money.
Other Ways to Say: Use time wisely, Time is valuable
18. Living on borrowed time
Meaning: Continuing to live after expected end.
In a Sentence: The doctor said he’s living on borrowed time.
Other Ways to Say: On limited time, Close to the end
19. Crunch time
Meaning: A short period with intense effort needed.
In a Sentence: It’s crunch time before finals.
Other Ways to Say: High-pressure period, Deadline push
20. Once in a blue moon
Meaning: Very rarely.
In a Sentence: He visits us once in a blue moon.
Other Ways to Say: Rarely, Hardly ever
21. Just a matter of time
Meaning: Something is certain to happen eventually.
In a Sentence: It’s just a matter of time before they succeed.
Other Ways to Say: Bound to happen, Sooner or later
22. Lose track of time
Meaning: Forget how much time has passed.
In a Sentence: I was so into the game I lost track of time.
Other Ways to Say: Get carried away, Be unaware of time
23. All in good time
Meaning: Something will happen eventually.
In a Sentence: You’ll get your promotion—all in good time.
Other Ways to Say: Be patient, It will come
24. Turn back the clock
Meaning: Return to a past time.
In a Sentence: I wish we could turn back the clock to those happy days.
Other Ways to Say: Rewind time, Go back
25. On borrowed time
Meaning: Living longer than expected.
In a Sentence: The engine’s running on borrowed time.
Other Ways to Say: Nearing the end, Living on the edge
26. Time flies
Meaning: Time passes very quickly.
In a Sentence: Time flies when you’re having fun! / I can’t believe it’s already July—time flies.
Other Ways to Say: “Time zooms by.”, “It goes by fast.”
27. Beat the clock
Meaning: To finish something before a deadline.
In a Sentence: We managed to beat the clock and submit our project just in time.
Other Ways to Say: “Finish just in time.”, “Race against time.”
28. The eleventh hour
Meaning: At the last possible moment.
In a Sentence: He turned in his essay at the eleventh hour. / They changed the plan at the eleventh hour.
Other Ways to Say: “Last minute.”, “Just before the deadline.”
29. A race against time
Meaning: A situation where something must be done quickly to succeed.
In a Sentence: Rescuers were in a race against time to find the missing hikers.
Other Ways to Say: “Beat the clock.”, “Urgent rush.”
30. Around the clock
Meaning: All day and night; continuously.
In a Sentence: The doctors worked around the clock to save her.
Other Ways to Say: “Nonstop.”, “24/7.”
31. Time waits for no one
Meaning: Time passes regardless of what we do.
In a Sentence: Don’t waste your youth—time waits for no one.
Other Ways to Say: “Time moves on.”, “You can’t pause time.”
32. Call it a day
Meaning: To stop working for the day.
In a Sentence: We’ve done enough—let’s call it a day.
Other Ways to Say: “Wrap it up.”, “End for now.”
33. Make up for lost time
Meaning: To do something quickly because you started late.
In a Sentence: After the delay, we worked hard to make up for lost time.
Other Ways to Say: “Catch up.”, “Regain time.”
34. Time is of the essence
Meaning: Something must be done quickly.
In a Sentence: In this emergency, time is of the essence.
Other Ways to Say: “No time to waste.”, “Act fast.”
35. Kill time
Meaning: To do something to pass the time while waiting.
In a Sentence: We played cards to kill time before our flight.
Other Ways to Say: “Pass time.”, “Waste time.”
36. Against the clock
Meaning: Working under time pressure.
In a Sentence: We were working against the clock to finish the presentation.
Other Ways to Say: “Tight deadline.”, “Time crunch.”
37. On borrowed time
Meaning: Living or functioning longer than expected.
In a Sentence: After the surgery, he felt like he was on borrowed time.
Other Ways to Say: “Extra time.”, “Living past the limit.”
38. Just in the nick of time
Meaning: Arriving or completing something at the last second.
In a Sentence: We caught the train just in the nick of time.
Other Ways to Say: “Barely made it.”, “Right on time.”
39. A matter of time
Meaning: Something is sure to happen, just not yet.
In a Sentence: It’s only a matter of time before they win the championship.
Other Ways to Say: “Inevitable.”, “Soon to happen.”
40. Take your time
Meaning: Don’t rush.
In a Sentence: No need to hurry—take your time.
Other Ways to Say: “Go at your pace.”, “No rush.”
41. In the blink of an eye
Meaning: Very quickly.
In a Sentence: The summer passed in the blink of an eye.
Other Ways to Say: “In a flash.”, “So fast.”
42. Lose track of time
Meaning: To become unaware of how much time has passed.
In a Sentence: I lost track of time while talking to my friend.
Other Ways to Say: “Forget the time.”, “Time slipped away.”
43. Make time
Meaning: To schedule time for something despite being busy.
In a Sentence: He always makes time for family.
Other Ways to Say: “Set aside time.”, “Find time.”
44. Time drags
Meaning: Time feels like it’s moving slowly.
In a Sentence: Time drags when you’re waiting for important news.
Other Ways to Say: “Feels slow.”, “Crawls by.”
45. At the crack of dawn
Meaning: Very early in the morning.
In a Sentence: We left for the airport at the crack of dawn.
Other Ways to Say: “Very early.”, “At sunrise.”
46. Better late than never
Meaning: It’s better to do something late than not at all.
In a Sentence: He arrived an hour late, but better late than never.
Other Ways to Say: “At least you came.”, “Still counts.”
47. From dawn till dusk
Meaning: All day long.
In a Sentence: We worked from dawn till dusk to finish the harvest.
Other Ways to Say: “All day.”, “Sunup to sundown.”
48. Call it a night
Meaning: To stop activities for the evening.
In a Sentence: I’m tired—let’s call it a night.
Other Ways to Say: “Time to rest.”, “Wrap it up.”
49. Mark time
Meaning: To wait without doing anything productive.
In a Sentence: We were just marking time until the show started.
Other Ways to Say: “Pass time.”, “Wait around.”
50. Time on your hands
Meaning: Having free time with nothing to do.
In a Sentence: I had time on my hands, so I cleaned the garage.
Other Ways to Say: “Free time.”, “Spare time.”
