buy time
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A Section 201 tariff is intended to buy time while the U.S. industry adjusts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
Pezeshkian's apology leaves room for several interpretations: a genuine attempt to calm regional tensions, a tactical move to buy time for Iran's interim leadership, or the opening signal of a political repositioning inside Tehran itself.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
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
I’ll buy time another way: Ask anyone over twenty-nine about their love life and you can stop the clock cold for fifteen minutes, minimum.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
