Collocations for "time"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "time" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
time
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.n
- for a (very) long time
- a [long, short] time [ago, before, earlier]
- [tea, breakfast, lunch, dinner] time
- [Greenwich Mean, British Summer, Central European] time
- (in) [ancient, prehistoric, old] times
- these are [hard, tough, difficult] times (for)
- is [going through, experiencing] hard times
- closing time
- our opening times are
- [extra, injury, stoppage] time
- the [journey, travel, transit] time
- a [world, personal, US] best time
- [finished, ran it] in record time
- was my [first, second] time [going, seeing, doing]
- (still) have [plenty, a lot] of time
- need more time (to)
- had enough time to [change, eat, talk]
- didn't have enough time to [change]
- the [bus, lecture, project] is taking too much time
- take [too much, a long] time to [answer, finish, go]
- these things take time
- it takes time to
- there is no time like the present
- this is no time to [start, panic, be]
- time waits for no [one, man]
- time and [space, date, tide]
- [arrived, finished, phoned] just in time
- the [package, gift, letter] arrived [in, on] time (for)
- the [train, flight, bus] arrived on time
- [society, technology, travel] has changed over time
- has changed [considerably, beyond recognition, enormously] over time
- only a short time had [passed, elapsed, gone by]
- [go, travel] back in time
- (would like to) [go] back in time to
- tell (the) time
- is biding his time
- have [little, limited] free time
- spends her time [reading, online]
- [have, find yourself with] time on your hands
- in my spare time I (like to) [read, golf, paint]
- was a (complete) waste of time
- is a waste of time [trying, looking, asking]
- had a [good, terrible] time [on vacation, at the party]
- had a hard time [trying, persuading, explaining]
- the time has come for [answers, action]
- it's time for [bed, lunch, your medication]
- it's time to [go, leave, say goodbye]
- is the best time of year to [go, visit, dive]
- did time for [robbery, fraud, assault]
- has done his time
- the [theory, notion, conception] of time
- in three [days', weeks'] time
- time has not been kind to her
- only time will tell
- time heals all wounds
- your time is up
- [it's, have] my time of the month
- a time [counter, display, monitor]
- is a ticking time bomb
- a time [machine, capsule]
- on a time [release, switch]
- time your [speed, rate]
- time the [race, competition]
- timed it [wrong, well, accurately, perfectly]
- timed their [attack, assault]
- time the [party, meeting, event] to [coincide, avoid, occur]
- was timed at [250 mph, 9.95 seconds]
- the connection timed out
'time' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Britain
- Canada
- Christmas
- England
- Europe
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Ireland
- Japan
- Lent
- London
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- US
- Wales
- a little
- about
- abroad
- absolute
- absolutely
- academic
- acceptable
- accomplishment
- accrual
- accuracy
- accurate
- accustomed
- acquainted
- actor
- actual
- additional
- adjustment
- advance
- advert
- again
- age
- ago
- agreeable
- agreed
- ahead
- aircraft
- airplane
- alarm
- album
- allocation
- allotment
- allow
- almond
- almost