lose time
Idioms-
Operate too slowly. For example, My watch loses time , or This clock loses five minutes a day . This usage is always applied to a timepiece. [Mid-1800s]
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Waste time, delay, as in We wanted to paint the entire porch today, but we lost time trying to find a color that matched the house . This expression is sometimes put negatively as lose no time , meaning “act immediately” or “not delay,” as in We must lose no time in getting him to the hospital . [Late 1500s] Also see make up for lost time .
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.
“I’m just afraid that we will lose time while the new team comes to understand what is happening.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
It’s one of those places where you just lose time.
From Salon ● May 23, 2025
For McLaren, there will be questions about strategy, after they pitted Piastri early in the race when he was second behind Verstappen, albeit beginning to lose time.
From BBC ● May 18, 2025
She added that she rarely rewatched her old films: “I don’t have time to see new films. Why should I lose time watching my previous ones?”
From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2022
When they headed for the bridges they would only lose time if they cut away across country again.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
