Showing results for proper time. Search instead for proper title.

proper time

British

noun

time measured by a clock that has the same motion as the observer. Any clock in motion relative to the observer, or in a different gravitational field, will not, according to the theory of relativity, measure proper time

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Later, he adopted a habit of submitting the master tape of an episode so late there wasn’t proper time to review it.

From Salon • Jul. 25, 2025

She said the bill would be an “absolutely mammoth change” and would be done “without the proper scrutiny and the proper time to have a proper discourse about it”.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2024

I managed to shove a few more things in there that I had really, really wanted to, but in my dream of dreams, we would have had a proper time frame to really dig deep.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2024

“Despite not having proper time, resources and staffing when things got tough I just did my best to handle it,” Ms. Gutierrez-Reed said in court, reading from a statement, her wrists shackled.

From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2024

“I therefore waive the right to call witnesses. As I stated before, at the proper time I shall present a plea in Bigger Thomas’ behalf.”

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023