just a minute

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Also, just a moment.

Wait a little bit. This expression is used before explaining oneself, as in Just a minute, I didn't mean that he was wrong, or to stop someone from something, as in Just a moment, I was here first. Also see hold everything.

Only a very short time, as in I'll be with you in just a minute.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby just a minute

Jusserand, jussive, jus soli, just, just about, just a minute, just as, just as soon, justaucorps, just deserts, juste-milieu

How to use just a minute in a sentence

ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Whatever happened overtook them both within a minute or so of that altitude change request, and they were never heard from again.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The play contains one five minute scene about James Hewitt,” Conway says.
Harry’s Daddy, and Diana’s ‘Murder’: Royal Rumors In a New Play|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I did a ten minute scene in his class: the guy who had gangrene in his leg in The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After a minute's pause, while he stood painfully silent, she resumed in great emotion.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
I assure you, no matter how beautifully we play any piece, the minute Liszt plays it, you would scarcely recognize it!
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
By the time I had done my toilette there was a tap at the door, and in another minute I was in the salle--manger.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini