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.
So the main solution right now is for crews to do their best to keep the tank as cool as possible — and buy time.
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026
Warsh would buy time to make other changes at the Fed that he has long advocated.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Air defense is meant to buy time for offensive operations that neutralize enemy launch capabilities, said Colby Badhwar, a Canadian security analyst.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
In the first stages of a pandemic, like early 2020 with Covid, a universal vaccine could buy time and save lives while a specialist vaccine was being developed.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
