ENGLISH THESAURUS & DICTIONARY

time

noun · verb

Words like time

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99 words · noun, verbSort by

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MEANING & USAGE

Definitions & examples

01noun

an instance or single occasion for some event

“this time he succeeded”

“he called four times”

02noun

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”

03noun

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

“the time of year for planting”

“he was a great actor in his time”

04noun

a suitable moment

“it is time to go”

11 more meanings

05noun

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”

06noun

a person's experience on a particular occasion

“he had a time holding back the tears”

“they had a good time together”

07noun

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”

08noun

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

09noun

rhythm as given by division into parts of equal duration

10noun

the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned

“he served a prison term of 15 months”

“his sentence was 5 to 10 years”

11verb

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”

12verb

assign a time for an activity or event

“The candidate carefully timed his appearance at the disaster scene”

13verb

set the speed, duration, or execution of

“we time the process to manufacture our cars very precisely”

14verb

regulate or set the time of

“time the clock”

15verb

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”

Meanings and examples from Open English WordNet 2025. About our sources ↗

WORDS IN USE

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Plain English

at this point in time → now

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Plain English

until such time as → until

The shorter form keeps the same endpoint.

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Expressions with “time”

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Explore multiword dictionary entries containing this word. Each has its own meanings and related words.

in time on time big time buy time one time time lag time off time out