I.
noun
1 what is measured in minutes, hours, days, etc.
TIME + VERB
▪ elapse , go by , pass
▪
As ~ went by we saw less and less of each other.
▪
The changing seasons mark the passing of ~.
▪ fly
▪
How ~ flies!
▪ go
▪
Where does the ~ go?
▪ drag
▪
Time drags in this job.
▪ heal sth
▪
Time heals all wounds.
PREPOSITION
▪ in ~
▪
The play takes us back in ~ to the 1940s.
▪ over ~
▪
Perceptions change over ~.
▪ through ~
▪
travel through ~
PHRASES
▪ a matter of ~
▪
It was only a matter of ~ before someone tried to kill him.
▪ the mists of ~
▪
The origins of this custom are lost in the mists of ~.
2 time shown on a clock
ADJECTIVE
▪ good , perfect
▪
My watch keeps good ~.
▪ local
▪
The attacks were launched at 9 p.m. local ~.
▪ daylight saving
▪ British Summer , Eastern Standard , Greenwich Mean , etc.
VERB + TIME
▪ tell
▪
Can he tell the ~ yet? ( BrE )
▪
Can he tell ~ yet? ( AmE )
▪ have
▪
Do you have the ~?
▪
What ~ do you have? ( AmE )
▪ make
▪
What ~ do you make it? ( BrE )
▪ look at
▪
Look at the ~! We'll be late.
▪ check
▪
Let me just check the ~.
▪ keep
TIME + NOUN
▪ zone
PREPOSITION
▪ ahead of … ~ , behind … ~
▪
10 hours behind Pacific Standard Time
PHRASES
▪ at … time in the morning/afternoon/evening , at … time of day , at … time of the morning/afternoon/evening/night
▪
There's less traffic at this ~ of day.
▪
What are you doing out of bed at this ~ of night?
▪ ~ of year , ~ of the year
▪
The leaves start to turn red at this ~ of (the) year.
▪ this ~ tomorrow, etc.
▪
This ~ tomorrow I'll be in Canada.
3 time when sth happens/should happen
ADJECTIVE
▪ peak
▪
There are extra buses at peak ~s.
▪ prime
▪ closing , opening
▪ arrival , departure
VERB + TIME
▪ fix ( BrE ), set
▪
We need to set a ~ for the next meeting.
▪ change
TIME + VERB
▪ come
▪
You'll feel differently about it when the ~ comes.
PREPOSITION
▪ ahead of ~
▪
We had everything worked out ahead of ~.
▪ behind ~ ( BrE )
▪
The plane took off an hour behind ~.
▪ by the ~
▪
By the ~ you get there the meeting will be over.
▪ in ~
▪
We got home in ~ to see the end of the game.
▪ on ~
▪
The trains are rarely on ~.
▪ ~ for
▪
It's ~ for dinner.
4 amount of time
ADJECTIVE
▪ considerable , long
▪ little , short
▪ limited
▪
It is a special price for a limited ~.
▪ total
▪ reasonable
▪ precious
▪
We're wasting precious ~.
▪ idle
▪ free , leisure , spare
▪ quality
▪ journey , travel , travelling/traveling
▪ running
▪
the movie's two-hour running ~
▪ playing ( esp. AmE ), screen
▪
The coach plans to give younger players more playing ~.
▪
De Niro makes the most of limited screen ~.
▪ lead , waiting
▪
There is a long lead ~ between order and delivery of the product.
… OF TIME
▪ amount , length , period
▪
Have you lived overseas for any length of ~?
▪ great deal
▪
A great deal of ~ has been spent on developing this software.
VERB + TIME
▪ have
▪
Do you have ~ for a chat?
▪
I had no ~ to think.
▪ need
▪
Do you need more ~?
▪ give sb/sth
▪
I can certainly do the job if you give me ~.
▪ take (sb)
▪
It takes ~ to make changes in the law.
▪
It took her a long ~ to read the report.
▪
Take your ~ ( = take as much time as you like ).
▪ spend
▪
She spends much of her ~ reading.
▪
I hope to spend more ~ with my family.
▪ kill , pass , while away
▪
It helps to pass the ~.
▪ fritter away , idle away
▪ devote , put , use
▪
She devotes all her spare ~ to gardening.
▪
He put all his ~ into the show.
▪ allow , leave
▪
They didn't allow much ~ for discussion.
▪
This doesn't leave much ~ for us to get ready.
▪ find , make
▪
I can never find ~ to write letters.
▪
I can probably make the ~ to see them.
▪ wait
▪
We had to wait some ~ before the bus arrived.
▪ gain , save
▪
You would save ~ with a dishwasher.
▪ reduce
▪
measures to reduce waiting ~s
▪ waste
▪ lose , run out of
▪
We have no ~ to lose (= we must hurry) .
▪
I didn't finish the test—I ran out of ~.
▪ be pressed for , be short of
▪ be out of
▪ play for
▪
Not knowing what to do, she played for ~ by going to the bathroom.
TIME + VERB
▪ be up , run out
▪
Sorry, your ~ is up.
TIME + NOUN
▪ frame , interval , period , scale , span
▪ limit
▪ lag
PREPOSITION
▪ at a ~
▪
He surfs the Internet for hours at a ~.
▪ for a ~
▪
I lived there for a ~.
▪ in ~
▪
You'll get used to the work in ~.
▪ over ~ , with ~
▪
Her skills improved with ~.
PHRASES
▪ all in good ~ (= sth will happen when the time is right)
▪
Be patient, Emily! All in good ~.
▪ all the ~
▪
The letter was in my pocket all the ~ (= while I was looking for it) .
▪
She leaves the lights on all the ~ (= always/repeatedly) .
▪ the entire ~ , the whole ~
▪ for quite some ~
▪
He'd been thinking about quitting his job for quite some ~.
▪ if ~ permits
▪
We will discuss this matter later, if ~ permits.
▪ in the fullness of ~ (= when the time is right, usually after a long period)
▪ in good of ~ , in plenty of ~
▪
Get to the airport in good ~ ( = plenty of time before the plane leaves ).
▪ in next to no ~ , in no ~ at all
▪ in ten minutes', three hours', etc. ~ ( esp. BrE )
▪
I'll be back in ten minutes' ~.
▪ in your own good ~ , in your own ~ (= taking as long as you want/need)
▪ most of the ~
▪ a race against ~
▪
Finishing the book was a race against ~.
▪ a long ~ ago , some ~ ago
▪
Her parents died a long ~ ago.
▪ a waste of ~
▪
What a waste of ~!
5 ( often times ) period in the past/present
ADJECTIVE
▪ good , great , happy
▪ bad , difficult , hard , rough , sad , tough , troubled , unhappy
▪
Times are hard for the unemployed.
▪ ancient , early , former , old
▪
in ancient ~s
▪ modern , recent
▪ medieval , prehistoric , etc.
TIME + VERB
▪ change
▪
Times have changed since Grandma was young.
PREPOSITION
▪ at a/the ~
▪
He lived at the ~ of the Civil War.
▪
At one ~ Mary was my best friend.
▪ before sb's ~
▪
The Beatles were before my ~.
▪ in sb's ~
▪
Mr Curtis was the manager in my ~ (= when I was working there) .
▪ in ~s
▪
in ~s of trouble
PHRASES
▪ from ~ immemorial , since ~ immemorial (= for a very long time)
▪ of all ~
▪
the greatest hockey player of all ~
▪ a sign of the ~s
▪
It's a sign of the ~s when sports stars earn more than movie stars.
▪ ~ was when
▪
Time was when ( = there was a time when ) we never needed to lock our house at night.
6 occasion
ADJECTIVE
▪ that , this
▪
I'm determined to pass this ~.
▪ final , last
▪
When was the last ~ you saw her?
▪ another , next
▪
Next ~ you're here let's have lunch together.
▪ one
▪ each , every
▪
Every ~ I hear that song I feel happy.
▪ only
▪ same
▪ appropriate , good , suitable
▪
Is this an appropriate ~ to discuss my salary?
▪ appointed , right
▪ bad , wrong
▪
This would be a bad ~ to tell her.
▪ first , second , etc.
▪
For the first ~ in history, more than half of us now live in cities.
▪ umpteenth
▪ countless , many
▪
I've told you countless ~s.
▪ several
… OF TIMES
▪ couple
▪ number
VERB + TIME
▪ remember
▪
I can remember the first ~ I met her.
▪ bide
▪
We'll have to bide our ~ until the rain stops.
TIME + VERB
▪ come
▪
Your ~ will come.
▪ be ripe
▪
The ~ is ripe for revolution.
PREPOSITION
▪ at a/the ~
▪
The chairlift can take four people at a ~.
▪
At the ~ of writing, a ceasefire is under discussion.
▪
Hot water is available at all ~s.
▪
He can be rather moody at ~s.
▪ by the ~
▪
She'll have gone by the ~ we get there.
▪ for the … ~
▪
I told her not to do it for the umpteenth ~.
PHRASES
▪ at the present ~
▪ for the ~ being (= temporarily)
▪ a number of ~s
▪ x ~s out of x
▪
three ~s out of ten
7 when you experience sth in a particular way
ADJECTIVE
▪ enjoyable , fun , good , grand ( esp. BrE ), great , marvellous/marvelous , pleasant , splendid ( esp. BrE ), wonderful
▪
It was a fun ~ for us girls.
▪ awful , dreadful ( esp. BrE ), horrible , miserable , sad , terrible
▪ difficult , hard
VERB + TIME
▪ have
▪
Did you have a good ~ in Spain?
▪
We had a great ~ at the party.
▪ enjoy
8 time taken in a race, etc.
ADJECTIVE
▪ fast
▪ record
▪
He completed the course in record ~.
VERB + TIME
▪ clock up , record
▪
She clocked up one of the fastest ~s of the year.
TIME + NOUN
▪ trial
9 musical rhythm
ADJECTIVE
▪ waltz
▪ double , quick
VERB + TIME
▪ beat , keep
▪
The conductor beat ~ with a baton.
TIME + NOUN
▪ signature
PREPOSITION
▪ in ~ , in ~ to , in ~ with , out of ~ with
▪
Kelly played guitar and everyone clapped their hands in ~.
▪
They were clapping in ~ to the music.
II.
verb
ADVERB
▪ conveniently , well
▪
This campaign is well ~d.
▪ beautifully ( esp. BrE ), perfectly , to perfection
▪
a beautifully ~d entrance
▪
We had ~d our arrival to perfection.
▪ badly , poorly
▪ carefully
▪
The schedule must be carefully ~d.
▪ precisely
PREPOSITION
▪ for
▪
The meeting is ~d for 3 o'clock.
PHRASES
▪ be ~d to coincide with sth
▪
The show is ~d to coincide with the launch of her new book.