pass the time

1. Occupy oneself for an interval, as in The plane was six hours late but I passed the time reading a book .

2. pass the time of day . Exchange greetings, engage in pleasantries, chat, as in Whenever I met her we would stop to pass the time of day . [First half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Migrants pass the time at Oasis de Migrante shelter in Juárez.

From Los Angeles Times

Sometimes, he said, he would join Alanís Garcia at the Oxnard Sunday flea market to walk around and pass the time.

From Los Angeles Times

Thin character development hobbles the film’s pacing during moments where giving any of them a shred of an identity would’ve helped pass the time between kills; it’s a letdown that each cast member — apart from the fantastic Lili Taylor as VP Dolores Brekenridge — reads so anonymously, considering how efficiently Janiak’s films give personalities even to their minor supporting characters.

From Salon

And both Fisher, with experience in stage management, and Harrison, with training in classical acting, spent a spell of their childhood injured in the hospital and were each given a magic set to pass the time.

From Los Angeles Times

Other than that, it has been smooth sailing for Mr Wood, who said his biggest challenge so far has been trying to pass the time - especially with so little to see on the open ocean.

From BBC