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
Ferrari warned Leclerc "not to lose time" fighting Sainz for third and that his fight was with Norris behind, knowing that the extra grip from the fresher tyres would leave him helpless.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2024
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
“We can yell if we need help. We gotta see which tunnel is the best one to go in, and we’d lose time checking each one out together. We’ve gotta split up.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
