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buy time

Idioms

Increase the time available for a specific purpose. For example, Renting an apartment buys them time to look around for a new house.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Paul's conditioning has sharpened, but money can't buy time in boxing and ring craft can only be forged through years of competitive rounds.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Quarterback Michael Gonzalez rolled to his right to buy time and launched a pass into a maze of players in the end zone.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2025

Jason Schloetzer, a business professor at Georgetown University, told MarketWatch last week that Target was likely looking for “quick wins” to buy time, as investors wait for the retailer’s turnaround plans to generate profit.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 28, 2025

Despite its military prowess, Sparta lacked strategic depth; its king, Archidamus II, therefore urged his countrymen to remonstrate with the Athenians, to buy time while recruiting other distant powers to their side.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

Another strategy is to buy time by saying “er...” in the hope that Hangman's concentration'll lapse and you can sneak the word out.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023