Definition of time

What does the word time mean?

• part of speech: verb transitive, intransitive

  Choose right time for, do at right time, as must t. your blows, remark was not well timed; ascertain the time taken by (race, runner, &c.), whence timer (1, 2), timing, nn.; keep time, harmonize, with.

• part of speech: noun

  Duration, continued existence; progress of this viewed as affecting persons or things, as t. will show who is right, has stood the test of t., (personified) assaults of (old, Father) t.; more or less definite portion of this associated with particular events or circumstances, historical or other period, as the tt. of the Stuarts, the t. of the Black Death, pre-historic tt., those godless tt., the good old tt., things have changed since those tt., the scientists of the t.; allotted or available portion of t., the t. at one\'s disposal, as it will last our t. (lives), have no t. for such frivolities, had no t. to discuss it, spend, lose, waste, t., will take you all your t. (colloq. = tax your powers), give me t. & I will pay, (colloq.) got there t. (soon) enough to see him, gaint., procure it esp. by temporizing measures; moment or definite portion of t. destined or suitable for a purpose &c., as there is a t. for everything, will fix a t. for seeing him, now is the t. to press your point, now is your t. (opportunity), I must bide my t., it is (HIGH) t. to go, t. for lunch, lunch-t., it is t. I was going (for me to go), in the NICK of t., t. (for boxing-round &c.) is up, (umpire\'s call) t.!, is serving his t. (as apprentice &c.), is doing t. (in prison), is far on in her t. (of gestation), is near her t. (of childbirth), my t. (death) is drawing near; (often pl.) conditions of life, prevailing circumstances, of a period, as hard, bad, good, tt. (esp. hard &c. to get a living in), had a good t., enjoyed myself, those were (fine) tt.!, what a t. (trouble) you will have getting him home!; occasion, as the first t. I saw him, wait till next t., did it seven tt. running, have told you a dozen tt., tt. out of number, t. & again, many a t., t. after t., for the last t. of asking, three, four, &c. tt. (but twice, not two tt.) 9 is 27 &c., is three tt. the size of mine, ten tt. easier or as easy; past, present, future, t., the portions into which all t. may at any moment be accurately or loosely divided (esp., Gram., with reference to tenses); (amount of) t. as reckoned by conventional standards, as the t. allowed was four years, months, minutes, did a mile in record t., astronomical (mean solar) t., apparent (SOLAR) t., SIDEREAL t., esp. stated in hours& minutes of the day, as the t. fixed was 4.30, what is the t.?, is that the correct (GREENWICH) t.?; (Mus.) (a) duration of a note as indicated by semibreve, minim, &c., (b) style of movement depending on number& accentuation of beats in a bar, as binary, ternary, t. (with two, three, beats in bar), COMMON t., (c) rate of execution, tempo; against t., with utmost speed, as working, riding, against t.; ahead of, (born) before, one\'s t. or tt., having notions too enlightened to be appreciated or put into practice; at the same t., simultaneously, not withstanding, all the same; at tt., now& then; beat t., indicate, follow, t. of music with stick, hand, &c.; civil t. (expressed by CIVIL year &c.); CLOSE t.; from t. to t., occasionally; in t., not late, early enough (to do, for thing), eventually, sooner or later, in accordance with, following, the t. of music &c.; keep t., walk, dance, sing, &c., in t., (of clock &c.) keep good, bad, t., record t. (in)-accurately; mean t. (regulated by average); out of t., unseasonable, -bly, (of singing &c.) not in t.; t. immemorial or out of mind, (for, from) a longer time than any one can remember or trace; the t. of day, hour by clock, (colloq.) pass the t. of day, exchange greeting &c. (with person), (slang) so that\'s the t. of day (the state of affairs, your little game, &c.) !; what t. (poet.), while, when; t.-ball (dropped from top of staff at observatory to indicate fixed moment of mean time, usu. 1 P.M.); t.-bargain, contract for sale of stock &c. at future t. (often a form of gambling); t.-book, -card, -sheet, (for recording workmen\'s hours of work); t.-fuse (calculated to burn for given t.); t.-honoured, venerable by antiquity; timekeeper, one who records t. esp. of workmen, watch &c. is good, bad, t.-k. (keeps good, bad, t.); timepiece, watch, clock; t.-server, one who, esp. for selfish ends, adapts himself to opinions of the tt. or of persons in power, so t.-serving a. & n.; t.-table, scheme of school work &c., table showing tt. of trains; t.-work (paid for by time, not PIECE-w.). [old English]

• part of speech: noun

  all the t., during the whole of the t. referred to (they were laughing a. t. t.), (United States) at all times (is a business man a. t. t.); one, two, &c. at a t., each, each two &c., separately; at this &c. t. of day (fig.), at this late stage in the world\'s history, of the negotiations, &c.; in no t., rapidly, in the twinkling of an eye; the Tt., the newspaper so named, esp. (shall write to the Tt.) as used by correspondents for ventilating grievances &c.; the t. of one\'s life (slang), a period of exceptional enjoyment or pleasant or unpleasant excitement (have the t. of one\'s, give one the t. of his, life).