time

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Measurement of duration

Nouns

1. time, duration; period, term, stage, space, span, spell, season; fourth dimension; the whole time; era, epoch, age, aeon; time of life; moment, instant, instantaneity, synchronism; anachronism; course, progress, flow, march, stream, or lapse of time; slow or standard time, real time, elapsed time; free time, white space; Time, Father Time, ravages of time; time's arrow. See past, futurity. Informal, donkey's years, many moons, a month of Sundays.

2. intermediate time, while, interim, interval, pendency; intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interlude; time frame; leisure, spare time; respite. See discontinuance, between.

3. anniversary, jubilee, recurrence (see regularity).

4. timekeeper; timepiece, watch, clock (see chronometry).

5. timing, clocking, chronology.

Verbs — continue, last, endure, go on, remain, persist; intervene, elapse, lapse, pass, flow, advance, roll on, go by, go on; flit, fly, slip, slide, or glide by; take [up] time, fill or occupy time; pass, spend, waste, while away, or consume time; live out; talk against time; tide over; seize an opportunity, take time by the forelock; make a day or night of it.

Adjectives — continuing; permanent, perpetual, eternal; regular, steady, periodic, intermittent; elapsing, passing, aoristic; timely, untimely, punctual, fast, slow, leisurely, unhurried, early, late. See earliness, lateness, slowness, haste.

Adverbs — during, pending; in passing, during the time; during the time or interval; in the course of time; for the time being, day by day; in the time of, when; from time immemorial; meantime, meanwhile; in the meantime, in the interim, from day to day, from hour to hour; hourly, always; for a time or season; till, until, up to, yet, as yet; the whole time, all the time; all along; throughout, for good; hereupon, thereupon, whereupon; then; anno Domini, A. D., before Christ, B.C., once upon a time; in a time, in due time, in season, in the fullness of time, some fine day; out of season.

Phrases — there is a time for everything; time will tell; time works wonders; time is a great healer or the great physician; time is money.

Quotations — To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven (Bible), Time the devourer of everything (Ovid), I am Time grown old to destroy the world, embarked on the course of world annihilation (Bhagavad Gita), I wasted time, and now doth time waste me (Shakespeare), Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day (Shakespeare), Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away (Isaac Watts), Remember that time is money (Benjamin Franklin), Time is the great physician (Benjamin Disraeli), As if you could kill time without injuring eternity (Henry David Thoreau), The distinction between past, present and future is only an illusion, however persistent (Albert Einstein), The inaudible and noiseless foot of Time (Shakespeare), Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils (Hector Berlioz).

Antonyms, see perpetuity.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Duration]

Syn. continuance, lastingness, extent, chronology, past, present, future, infinity, space-time; see also today .

Units of measure for time include: millisecond, age, eon, era, epoch, nanosecond, second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, term, decade, generation, lifetime, century, millennium, aeon; moment, instant, watch, tour, tour of duty, work period, shift, swing shift*, graveyard shift*, cat-eye shift*.

2. [A point in time]

Syn. moment, incident, event, occurrence, occasion, time and tide, instant, term, season, tide, course, sequence, point, generation; see also moment 1 .

3. [A period of time]

Syn. season, era, interval; see age 3 , period 1 .

4. [Experience]

Syn. background, living, participation; see experience 1 .

5. [Leisure]

Syn. opportunity, spare time, free moment, ease, liberty, chance; see also freedom 1 .

6. [Credit]

Syn. account, trust, terms, delayable payment; see credit 4 , loan .

7. [Circumstances; usually plural; used with ""the'' ]

Syn. conditions, the present, nowadays, juncture; see circumstance 1 , circumstances 2 .

8. [A measure of speed]

Syn. tempo, beat, rate, meter, rhythm, cadence, swing, accent, bounce*, lift*.

9. [A standard of measuring time].

Time zones and standards include: Greenwich, mean, sidereal, apparent, solar, Standard, Atlantic Standard, Eastern Standard, Central Standard, Mountain Standard, Pacific Standard, Yukon Standard, Alaska Standard, Hawaii Standard, Samoa Standard, daylight-savings, astronomical, nautical.

10. [A standard of measuring rhythm in music].

Musical times include: simple, compound, duple, two-part, triple, three-part, quadruple, four-part, quintuple, five-part, sextuple, six-part, septuple, seven-part, nonuple, nine-part, three-four, three-quarter, mixed.

• abreast of the times,

Syn. up-to-date, informed, aware; see modern 1 .

• ahead of time,

Syn. ahead of schedule, fast, earlier than expected; see early 2 .

• at one time,

11. simultaneously, concurrently, at once; see together 2 .

12. once, once upon a time, previously.

• at the same time,

Syn. simultaneously, concurrently, at once; see together 2 .

• at times,

Syn. occasionally, sometimes, once in a while; see seldom .

• behind the times,

Syn. out of date, archaic, antediluvian; see old-fashioned .

• behind time,

Syn. tardy, delayed, coming later; see late 1 .

• between times,

Syn. now and then, occasionally, sometimes; see seldom .

• do time*,

Syn. serve a prison term, go to jail, be imprisoned; see serve time .

• for a time,

Syn. awhile, for a while, for some time; see awhile , temporarily .

• for some time,

Syn. for a while, for quite a while, for a time, for a long time; see awhile .

• for the time being,

Syn. for the present, for now, under consideration; see temporarily .

• from time to time,

Syn. occasionally, sometimes, once in a while; see frequently .

• in due time,

Syn. eventually, at an appropriate time, in the natural course of events; see finally 2 , ultimately .

• in good time,

Syn. at the proper time, in a short time, soon; see quickly 1 .

• in no time,

Syn. almost instantly, very rapidly, without delay; see quickly 1 , soon 1 .

• in time,

13. eventually, after the proper time, inevitably; see finally 2 .

14. on time, in the nick of time, not a minute too soon, under the wire.

15. on the beat, simultaneously, up to tempo; see together 2 .

• kill time,

Syn. fill in the time, waste time, idle; see wait 1 .

• lose time,

Syn. go too slow, tarry, cause a delay; see delay 1 .

• make time,

Syn. gain time, hasten; see hurry 1 .

• make time with*,

Syn. attract, lure, charm; see seduce .

• many a time,

Syn. often, regularly, consistently; see frequently .

• on time,

16. at the appointed time, punctually, correct; see punctual .

17. by credit, in installments, on account; see unpaid 1 .

• out of time,

Syn. out of pace, unreasonable, improper; see untimely .

• pass the time of day,

Syn. exchange greetings, chat, converse; see greet .

• take one's own (sweet) time,

Syn. dawdle, fool around, dilly-dally*; see delay 1 , loiter .

v.

Syn. register distance, sound a bell, clock, determine timing of, measure time; see also measure 1 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. duration span, stretch, spell, period, interval, term, age, epoch, era, juncture, point, second, instant, moment, hour, day, month, year, century, millennium, eon, infinity, continuance, chronology, fourth dimension, *tick of the clock, *water under the bridge, *sand through the hourglass. ''A file that wears and makes no noise.''— Henry G. Bohn. ''A flowing river.''—Christopher Morley. ''A sandpile we run our fingers in.''—Carl Sandburg. ''The moving image of eternity.''—Plato. ''A storm in which we are all lost.''—William Carlos Williams. ''Time like an ever-rolling stream bears all its sons away.''—Isaac Watts.

2. occasion opportunity, opening, chance, shot.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. A rather short period: bit1, space, spell3, while. See BIG. 2. The general point at which an event occurs: occasion. Idiom: point in time. See TIME. 3. A limited or specific period of time during which something happens, lasts, or extends: duration, span, stretch, term. See TIME. 4. A particular time notable for its distinctive characteristics. Often used in plural: age, day, epoch, era, period. See TIME. 5. A span designated for a given activity: period, season. See TIME. 6. A term of service, as in the military or in prison: hitch, stretch, tour. See TIME. 7. A limited, often assigned period of activity, duty, or opportunity: bout, go, hitch, inning (often used in plural), shift, spell3, stint, stretch, tour, trick, turn, watch. See TIME. II verb 1. To set the time for (an event or occasion): plan, schedule. See TIME. 2. To record the speed or duration of: clock. See REMEMBER, TIME.