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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.

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

Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor and writer who studies happiness, has said there are five ways to use money: You can buy things, buy experiences, buy time, give money away or save it.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 11, 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

I tapped my pencil on my notebook, trying to buy time.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

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