pressed for time

Idioms  

1. In a hurry, as in How long will it take? I'm really pressed for time. This idiom uses press in the sense of “subject to pressure,” a usage dating from the late 1600s.

---

Example Sentences

Keenan said he’d been pressed for time and left the mess there.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

I will say that these characters do speak remarkably fast — they can be hard to understand — but they are, after all, almost always pressed for time.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2023

But if you are pressed for time, grab some store-bought cooked beets.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2022

If you’re pressed for time, ask your supermarket butcher to do this part for you.

From Washington Post • Nov. 3, 2022

The vicar seemed a little pressed for time, and was many feet ahead of the rest.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan