Home / Dictionary / Time

Time Very Common

/taɪm/

Time has 19 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Verb · Intj

Definitions
Noun
1

an instance or single occasion for some event

"this time he succeeded"

"he called four times"

"he could do ten at a clip"

2

a period of time considered as a resource under your control and sufficient to accomplish something

"take time to smell the roses"

"I didn't have time to finish"

"it took more than half my time"

"he waited for a long time"

3

an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities)

"the time of year for planting"

"he was a great actor in his time"

4

a suitable moment

"it is time to go"

5

the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past

"he waited for along time"

"it took some time before he got an answer"

"time flies like an arrow"

6

a person's experience on a particular occasion

"he had a time holding back the tears"

"they had a good time together"

7

a reading of a point in time as given by a clock

"do you know what time it is?"

"the time is 10 o'clock"

8

the fourth coordinate that is required (along with three spatial dimensions) to specify a physical event

"In physics, we describe any event by giving its location in space and time as the four coordinates needed to pinpoint it in the universe."

9

rhythm as given by division into parts of equal duration

"The conductor tapped his baton to establish a steady time for the orchestra, ensuring every section played in perfect unison."

10

the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned

"he served a prison term of 15 months"

"his sentence was 5 to 10 years"

"he is doing time in the county jail"

11

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

"The old photographs seemed to whisper about a time that had already slipped away, leaving only silence in its wake."

12

A dimension of spacetime with the opposite metric signature to space dimensions; the fourth dimension.

"The physicist explained that in Einstein's theory, time acts as a unique fourth dimension woven into the fabric of spacetime."

In plain English: Time is the continuous progress of existence that allows events to happen in a specific order from past to future.

"I need to check the time before I leave for work."

Usage: Use "time" to refer to a specific point in history or a duration when counting how many times an event occurs. It describes the general flow of moments as they move from the past through the present toward the future.

Verb
1

measure the time or duration of an event or action or the person who performs an action in a certain period of time

"he clocked the runners"

2

assign a time for an activity or event

"The candidate carefully timed his appearance at the disaster scene"

3

set the speed, duration, or execution of

"we time the process to manufacture our cars very precisely"

4

regulate or set the time of

"time the clock"

5

adjust so that a force is applied and an action occurs at the desired time

"The good player times his swing so as to hit the ball squarely"

6

To measure or record the time, duration, or rate of.

"The coach asked the stopwatch operator to carefully time each runner's sprint across the finish line."

In plain English: To time something means to measure how long it takes for an event to happen.

"We need to time the meeting so it ends right before lunch."

Usage: Use "time" as a verb when you are measuring how long something takes or determining the best moment to perform an action, such as timing a race or timing your entry into a meeting. Avoid using it simply to mean "to schedule" unless you specifically refer to calculating the duration of that scheduled event.

Intj
1

Reminder by the umpire for the players to continue playing after their pause.

"The umpire called time for us to finish our discussion and then reminded everyone to resume play immediately."

Example Sentences
"I need to check the time before I leave for work." noun
"We need to time the meeting so it ends right before lunch." verb
"She will time her arrival to beat the traffic." verb
See Also
minute hour clock watch morning evening minutes hours
Related Terms
minute hour clock watch morning evening minutes hours year always month century seconds day measurement week clocks age ago measure
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
case time period moment attribute experience reading dimension rhythmicity term quantify schedule determine adjust
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
day dead hard times incarnation wee while moment ephemera space age high time occasion geological time biological time cosmic time civil time daylight-saving time present past future musical time continuum Greenwich Mean Time duration eternity spacecraft clock time prime time hour hard time life sentence mistime

Origin

The word "time" comes from Old English tīma, which originally referred to a period, season, or opportunity. Its roots trace back to the Proto-Indo-European concept of dividing, suggesting that measuring time involves breaking it into distinct parts.

Rhyming Words
ime rime hime dime lime mime aime ojime ehime crime anime stime slime chime prime grime clime jaime spime paime
Compare
Time vs