about time

Idioms  

1. Long past the right time; also, approximately the right time. Thus, It's about time you went to bed can mean either that you should have gone to bed much earlier (often stated with emphasis on the word time), or that now is the appropriate time for you to retire. [Early 1900s] For a synonym, see high time.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

about time

The conceit of the movie, that you took 12 years to make it, became largely what the movie was about: time and growth and what happens to people as they get older.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Civilization runs on a manufactured consensus about time, maintained by atomic clocks and humble institutions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Kane and Bellingham revel in responsibility as England's leaders, but it is about time others shared the burden around at this World Cup.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

The way that happened has been enormously damaging — but, honestly, it was about time.

From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026

“The best thing we can do right now is get to Abuelita Remedios’s house as soon as possible and ask for her help. I think it’s about time we let an adult handle this.”

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall