time warp

American  

noun

1. a hypothetical eccentricity in the progress of time that would allow movement back and forth between eras or that would permit the passage of time to be suspended.

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time warp British  

noun

1. any distortion of space-time

2. a hypothetical distortion of time in which people and events from one age can be imagined to exist in another age

3. informal an illusion in which time appears to stand still

   he is living in a time warp

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time warp Idioms  

1. A stoppage in the passage of time; also, a distortion of time whereby an event or person could hypothetically move from one era to another. For example, Nothing in their lives has changed since the sixties; they're in a time warp, or Having a seventy-year-old actress portray a teenager—that was some time warp! This term originated in science fiction, where it signifies “a supernatural movement from one era to another,” and came to be used more loosely. [c. 1950]

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Etymology

Origin of time warp

First recorded in 1950–55

Compare meaning

How does time-warp compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• time warp vs. time-lapse

Example Sentences

The New York Times calling it "cold and forbidding", while the Washington Post described it as a "time warp."

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

When I recently watched both movies again, it was like falling into a musical comedy time warp.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

For Sir Phil, who made a cameo appearance, it felt like "going through a time warp".

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025

It does feel like we are in a time warp in this country right now, and in the last few years.

From Salon • May 29, 2025

Without asking, Katherine added into a time warp? and with our lists under What we think.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix