make up for lost time

Idioms  

1. Also, make up ground. Hurry to compensate for wasted time, as in They married late but hoped to make up for lost time, or We're behind in the schedule, and we'll just have to make up ground as best we can. The first term was first recorded in 1774; the variant dates from the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

make up for lost time

Once he enters the modern world to search for their missing parents, she tries to make up for lost time.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

He transferred to Cathedral last May, and coach Martin Farfan aggressively trained him to make up for lost time.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

And that doesn’t mean throwing all your extra cash into risky investments to make up for lost time.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026

Now he must make up for lost time.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

To make up for lost time, I started off in a dog trot.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls