n.
unlimited duration
entire period of existence
1) ~ flies; passes
2) in ~ (we exist in ~ and space)
unlimited future period
3) ~ will tell (~ will tell if we are right)
4) in ~ (in ~ everything will be forgotten)
moment
fixed moment
appropriate moment
5) to fix, set, specify a ~ for (to fix a ~ for a meeting)
6) to bide ('wait patiently for') one's ~
7) bed~; curtain ~; lunch~; starting ~
8) the appointed; present; right; wrong ~
9) a closing; opening ~
10) a ~ for (it's ~ for lunch)
11) ~ to + inf. (it's ~ for us to leave)
12) ~ that + clause (it's high ~ that she returned home)
13) at a certain ~ (at a bad ~; at the present ~; at that ~; at any old ~)
14) by a certain ~ (by that ~ he had left)
15) ( misc. ) in good ~; in plenty of ~ ('early enough')
duration
period
interval
16) to pass, spend ~ (she spends her ~ reading)
17) to gain, save ~
18) to find ~ (she somehow finds ~ to jog every day)
19) to consume, take ~ (it takes quite a bit of ~ to get there; how much ~ will this job take?)
20) to lose; waste ~; to fritter away one's ~
21) a long; short ~
22) ancient; former; olden; prehistoric; recent ~s (in ancient ~s)
23) ( AE ) compensatory ~ ('free ~ given to an employee for previously worked over~') ( BE has ~ off in lieu )
24) ( AE ) equal ~ (for political candidates on TV and radio)
25) peak viewing ( BE ), prime ~ (what's on TV tonight during prime ~?)
26) (a) record ~ (she ran the distance in record ~)
27) released ~ ('~ given for extracurricular activities')
28) travel ~ ('~ spent in going to and returning from work')
29) (the) running ~ (of a film)
30) ~ drags
31) ~ for (will you have ~ for an interview?)
32) ( misc. ) to kill ~ ('to make ~ pass'); to play for ~ ('to seek delay'); to take one's ~ ('to act slowly'); for a ~; for the ~ being ('for now'); ~ hangs heavy on our hands
conditions during a period
33) bad, difficult, hard, rough ~s (during/in hard ~s)
available period
34) free, leisure, spare ~ (what do you do in your leisure ~?)
35) ~ to + inf. (there is no ~ to lose; will you have ~ to see me tomorrow?)
36) ~ for (~ for relaxation; I have no ~ for my family)
period worked
37) full ~; over~; part ~ (I work part ~)
38) lost ~ (to make up lost ~; or: to make up for lost ~)
period of serving, service
39) to do, serve ~ (to do/serve ~ in prison)
tempo, rhythm
40) to beat, keep ~ (to music, to a song)
41) ( mus. ) common ~
42) ( usu. mil .) double; quick ~ (quick ~, march!)
43) in ~ to (the music)
system of measuring duration
44) to keep, show, tell ~ (a clock tells ~; my watch keeps good ~)
45) central ( US ); daylight-saving ( AE ), summer ( BE ); eastern ( US ); Greenwich (mean); local; mountain ( US ); Pacific ( US ); solar; standard ( AE ) ~
schedule
46) ahead of ~
47) behind ~
48) in ~ for (we arrived in ~ for the concert)
49) on ~ (they got there on ~)
experience
50) to have a (good) ~
51) a good, great, lovely ~ (we had a great ~ on our trip)
52) a bad, rough, tough, unpleasant ~
~out
(sports)
53) to call ~
occasion
54) the first; last; next ~; that; this ~
end of pregnancy
55) her ~ is near
misc.
56) at the same ~ ('however'); at ~s ('occasionally'); for the ~ being ('at present'); from ~ immemorial ('from the earliest period'); in good ~ ('when appropriate'); in no ~ ('very soon'); to have the ~ of one's life ('to enjoy oneself thoroughly'); to keep up with the ~s ('to keep abreast of the latest developments'); to make good ~ ('to travel quickly'); to make ~ with smb. ( esp. AE ; colloq. ) ('to be successful in attracting smb.'); to mark ~ ('to be inactive'); ~ and ~ again; or ~ after ~ ('frequently'); to live on borrowed ~ ('to live beyond the expected ~ of death'); pressed for ~ ('in a hurry'); to work against ~ ('to work to meet a deadline'); the ~ is ripe for action ('it is ~ to act'); he died before his ~ ('he died prematurely') USAGE NOTES:
1) The phrase in ~ can mean 'eventually'--in ~ everything will be forgotten.
2) The phrase in ~ can also mean 'with some ~ to spare'--we arrived in ~ for the concert.
3) The phrase on ~ means 'neither early nor late'--they got there on ~.