time flies

Idioms

Time passes quickly, as in It's midnight already? Time flies when you're having fun, or I guess it's ten years since I last saw you—how time flies. This idiom was first recorded about 1800 but Shakespeare used a similar phrase, “the swiftest hours, as they flew,” as did Alexander Pope, “swift fly the years.”

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.

Time flies, and it gets easier to forget that lots of Peacock’s best stuff used to be at more popular destinations.

From Slate • Jul. 23, 2024

"Time flies fast," said Ricardo, one of the senior nursing assistants, who described her as "selfless and hardworking".

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2023

Time flies when you’re upending an industry, destroying a business model and drowning an unsuspecting populace in content.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2019

Time flies: Devin Booker is already entering year five.

From Washington Post • Jun. 18, 2019

"Time flies when you're having fun," said Magnet.

From "Holes" by Louis Sachar

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