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• kill-time
  kill-time

  noun
• kill time
  kill time

  Pass time aimlessly. For example, There was nothing to do, so I sat around killing time until dinner was ready. This idiom was first recorded about 1768.

kill-time

British  

noun

1. 1. an occupation that passes the time

   2. ( as modifier )

      kill-time pursuits

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kill time Idioms  

1. Pass time aimlessly. For example, There was nothing to do, so I sat around killing time until dinner was ready. This idiom was first recorded about 1768.

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Example Sentences

I want to kill time in a way that is about discovery, exploration, but also, like, “Oh, I want stuff.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

It's become the place where 2.5 billion people log on monthly to kill time, be entertained and, sometimes at least, learn something.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2025

You would just kill time while you waited for the other person to change into their costumes.

From Salon • Oct. 26, 2023

The other business sold kitchen appliances “on Amazon to kill time during the pandemic,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2023

I pretended to fiddle with my oxygen tank for a second just to kill time.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green