Time is something we all know, but we can’t see or touch it. We use it every day to plan when to go to school, eat lunch, or watch a movie. When time goes by, we might say “time flies” or “in the blink of an eye.” These are called idioms. They help us talk about time in fun and clear ways.
In this article, we will learn about idioms that describe how time passes. These special phrases don’t mean exactly what the words say, but they help us understand time better. They are used in stories, songs, and everyday talking. Let’s take a closer look at idioms about time passing and see what they really mean.
Idioms about Time Passing
1. Time flies
Meaning: Time goes by very fast
Give an Instance: Time flies when we’re playing video games. / Summer break flew by so fast.
Substitute Meaning: Time passes quickly / Goes by fast
2. In the blink of an eye
Meaning: Something happens very quickly
Give an Instance: The weekend was over in the blink of an eye. / Recess ended in the blink of an eye.
Substitute Meaning: Very fast / So quickly
3. Beat the clock
Meaning: Finish something before time runs out
Give an Instance: We beat the clock and turned in our homework on time. / I beat the clock and got to class before the bell.
Substitute Meaning: Finish in time / Just make it
4. Behind the times
Meaning: Old-fashioned or not updated
Give an Instance: That phone is behind the times. / My grandpa’s music is behind the times.
Substitute Meaning: Outdated / Not current
5. Around the clock
Meaning: All day and all night
Give an Instance: The nurses work around the clock. / We played video games almost around the clock during break.
Substitute Meaning: Nonstop / All the time
6. Make up for lost time
Meaning: Do more because time was missed
Give an Instance: We made up for lost time by practicing longer. / She read two books to make up for lost time.
Substitute Meaning: Catch up / Gain back time
7. Once in a blue moon
Meaning: Something that happens very rarely
Give an Instance: We go to the beach once in a blue moon. / Dad cooks dinner once in a blue moon.
Substitute Meaning: Not often / Very rare
8. Kill time
Meaning: Do something while waiting
Give an Instance: I played a game to kill time before the bus. / We told jokes to kill time in the lunch line.
Substitute Meaning: Pass time / Fill time
9. Call it a day
Meaning: Stop working for now
Give an Instance: We finished our project and called it a day. / Let’s call it a day and go home.
Substitute Meaning: Stop now / End the activity
10. In no time
Meaning: Very quickly
Give an Instance: We finished cleaning in no time. / The cookies were gone in no time.
Substitute Meaning: Fast / Quickly done
11. Take your time
Meaning: Don’t rush
Give an Instance: Take your time on the test. / I told my sister to take her time getting ready.
Substitute Meaning: Go slow / Be careful
12. At the last minute
Meaning: Very close to the deadline
Give an Instance: He packed at the last minute. / I did my homework at the last minute.
Substitute Meaning: Almost too late / Just in time
13. Time is up
Meaning: No more time left
Give an Instance: The teacher said time is up. / Time was up before I could finish my drawing.
Substitute Meaning: Time ended / Out of time
14. In the nick of time
Meaning: Just before it was too late
Give an Instance: We got to the bus in the nick of time. / She caught her paper in the nick of time.
Substitute Meaning: Just made it / Barely in time
15. Time will tell
Meaning: We will find out later
Give an Instance: Time will tell if the plant grows. / Time will tell if we win the contest.
Substitute Meaning: We’ll see / Wait and find out
16. All in good time
Meaning: Things will happen when ready
Give an Instance: You’ll learn to skate, all in good time. / We’ll get a puppy, all in good time.
Substitute Meaning: Be patient / It’ll happen soon
17. Against the clock
Meaning: Rushing to beat a deadline
Give an Instance: We worked against the clock on our science fair project. / She was racing against the clock to finish drawing.
Substitute Meaning: In a rush / Short on time
18. Time and again
Meaning: Happens often
Give an Instance: He forgets his lunch time and again. / I’ve told you time and again to clean up.
Substitute Meaning: Repeatedly / Often
19. Ahead of time
Meaning: Earlier than planned
Give an Instance: I finished my book ahead of time. / They arrived ahead of time to the field trip.
Substitute Meaning: Early / Before schedule
20. A race against time
Meaning: Try to do something fast before it’s too late
Give an Instance: It was a race against time to turn in the paper. / We had a race against time to clean before guests arrived.
Substitute Meaning: Hurry / Rush to finish
21. Bide your time
Meaning: Wait for the right moment
Give an Instance: He’s biding his time to ask a question. / I bided my time before picking a partner.
Substitute Meaning: Wait patiently / Hold back for now
22. Behind schedule
Meaning: Later than planned
Give an Instance: We’re behind schedule on the group project. / The movie started behind schedule.
Substitute Meaning: Running late / Not on time
23. Save time
Meaning: Do something quickly to not waste time
Give an Instance: We ordered pizza to save time. / Using the elevator saved time.
Substitute Meaning: Be faster / Use less time
24. Run out of time
Meaning: No time left
Give an Instance: I ran out of time during the test. / We ran out of time to finish the game.
Substitute Meaning: Out of time / Time ended
25. Have time on your hands
Meaning: Have extra time
Give an Instance: I had time on my hands, so I cleaned my room. / She drew pictures because she had time on her hands.
Substitute Meaning: Free time / Extra time
26. A matter of time
Meaning: Something will happen soon
Give an Instance: It’s only a matter of time before the snow melts. / It’s a matter of time before he finishes the book.
Substitute Meaning: Will happen soon / Just wait
27. On borrowed time
Meaning: Time left is short
Give an Instance: The computer is on borrowed time. / That old toy is living on borrowed time.
Substitute Meaning: Almost out of time / Time is short
28. Take a trip down memory lane
Meaning: Think about the past
Give an Instance: We took a trip down memory lane looking at baby pictures. / The old school photo took her down memory lane.
Substitute Meaning: Remember old times / Think back
29. From time to time
Meaning: Sometimes
Give an Instance: I visit my cousins from time to time. / We eat out from time to time.
Substitute Meaning: Occasionally / Not often
30. Out of date
Meaning: Old or expired
Give an Instance: That coupon is out of date. / Her phone is out of date.
Substitute Meaning: Too old / Not useful anymore
31. At the crack of dawn
Meaning: Very early in the morning
Give an Instance: We left at the crack of dawn for the trip. / He woke up at the crack of dawn to study.
Substitute Meaning: Very early / First thing in the morning
32. In due time
Meaning: At the right moment
Give an Instance: You’ll get your turn in due time. / In due time, we’ll find out the winner.
Substitute Meaning: Soon / When ready
33. A stitch in time saves nine
Meaning: Fix a small problem now to avoid bigger ones later
Give an Instance: Clean the mess now a stitch in time saves nine. / Do your homework early a stitch in time saves nine.
Substitute Meaning: Fix now to avoid trouble / Do it before it gets worse
34. Time of your life
Meaning: A really fun time
Give an Instance: I had the time of my life at the water park. / She had the time of her life at her birthday party.
Substitute Meaning: Great time / Most fun ever
35. Mark time
Meaning: Just waiting, not doing anything special
Give an Instance: We marked time waiting for our parents. / He was just marking time till dinner.
Substitute Meaning: Pass time / Wait around
36. Better late than never
Meaning: It’s better to do something late than not at all
Give an Instance: He finished the puzzle a day late better late than never. / She showed up late to help better late than never.
Substitute Meaning: Late is okay / Still good
37. Turn back the clock
Meaning: Go back to the past
Give an Instance: I wish I could turn back the clock to summer break. / Looking at that picture turned back the clock.
Substitute Meaning: Remember the past / Go back in time
38. Time stands still
Meaning: Everything feels like it stops
Give an Instance: When she walked in, time stood still. / Time stood still during the big surprise.
Substitute Meaning: Frozen moment / Very slow feeling
39. Just in time
Meaning: Arrive or finish at the last moment
Give an Instance: I made it to the bus just in time. / We finished the puzzle just in time.
Substitute Meaning: Barely made it / Right before the end
40. Time is money
Meaning: Time is valuable
Give an Instance: Don’t waste time time is money. / We had to work fast because time is money.
Substitute Meaning: Don’t waste time / Time is important
41. Living on borrowed time
Meaning: Not expected to last long
Give an Instance: The old game system is living on borrowed time. / That light bulb is living on borrowed time.
Substitute Meaning: About to stop / Not much time left
42. Clock is ticking
Meaning: Time is running out
Give an Instance: Hurry, the clock is ticking on the test. / The clock was ticking as we cleaned up.
Substitute Meaning: Almost out of time / Time is going fast
43. Crack of time
Meaning: A very short amount of time
Give an Instance: He solved the riddle in a crack of time. / She finished her snack in a crack of time.
Substitute Meaning: In a flash / Super quick
44. On time
Meaning: At the right time
Give an Instance: The bus came on time today. / He always turns in homework on time.
Substitute Meaning: Not late / Right when expected
45. Long time coming
Meaning: Something that should’ve happened earlier
Give an Instance: The snow day was a long time coming. / His win was a long time coming.
Substitute Meaning: Finally / Took a while
Find the Idioms About Time Passing
Reading Passage
It was finally Valentine’s Day at Roosevelt Elementary. Mrs. Carter’s class was planning a party, but they were running against the clock to decorate the room. Olivia and Marcus worked fast so they could finish ahead of time. Still, it felt like time was up before they finished all the balloons.
During the party, kids laughed and ate cookies. “Let’s take a picture,” said Jayden. “This will be fun to look at when we take a trip down memory lane someday.” Everyone smiled big.
Later, Olivia checked the time. “That went by in the blink of an eye!” she said. They had the time of their lives playing games and handing out cards. At the very end, Marcus dropped his card box but caught it in the nick of time.
As students packed up, Mrs. Carter said, “This has been the best party. Let’s call it a day and head home.” On the way out, Ella whispered to her friend, “I wish we could turn back the clock and do it all over again.”
Task
Underline or list all 10 idioms about time passing in the passage.
Answer Key
- Against the clock
- Ahead of time
- Time was up
- Trip down memory lan
- Blink of an eye
- Time of their lives
- In the nick of time
- Call it a day
- Turn back the clock
- Take a trip down memory lane
Conclusion
Idioms about time passing help us talk about how quickly or slowly things happen. They make our stories and talks more fun and easier to understand. Phrases like time flies or beat the clock let us share how we feel about time.
By learning these idioms, we can speak and write in more colorful ways. Next time you talk about something that happened fast or a fun day that went by quickly, try using one of these time idioms. It helps others understand your story better.
