Jump To:

• me time
  me time

  noun

  time spent focusing on oneself and only doing things one wants to do.
• me-time
  me-time

  noun

  the time a person has to himself or herself, in which to do something for his or her own enjoyment

me time

American  

[mee tahym] / ˈmi ˌtaɪm /

Or me-time

noun

Informal.

1. time spent focusing on oneself and only doing things one wants to do.

   I’ll try to find some me time when the kids go back to school.

---

me-time British  

noun

1. the time a person has to himself or herself, in which to do something for his or her own enjoyment

---

Etymology

Origin of me time

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

The reason that being five years out from retirement is such a big deal is that it gives me time to plan.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

That saves me time and helps me pause before trusting AI-generated information—even if I still have to follow up with my own fact-checking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

Although the process was simple, it gave me time to become slightly apprehensive and to hope for a low microplastics count.

From Slate • May 28, 2025

"The way they were able to predict that, it gave me time to get to a point of safety," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2025

Augustus didn’t even give me time to blush.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green