worth one's while
Idioms-
Merit one's time or efforts, as in It's hardly worth your while to count the transactions; it can be done by computer . [Late 1600s]
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make something worth one's while . Compensate one for one's time or efforts, as in If you take care of our yard while we're away, I'll make it worth your while . [Mid-1800s] Both usages employ while in the sense of “a period of time spent.”
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.
It might be worth one's while to know, for they're surely signaling.
From The Lords of the Wild A Story of the Old New York Border by Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander)
"It's worth one's while, truly," thought Madame Lupot, "to tire one's self to death receiving people, to be treated to such pretty compliments."
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 53, No. 329, March, 1843 by Various
"Anybody might hear," answered Vera, carelessly, "were it worth one's while to take the trouble of repeating it."
From Vera Nevill Or, Poor Wisdom's Chance by Cameron, H. Lovett, Mrs.
Convince me that it is worth one's while to live....
From The Home Life of Poe by Weiss, Susan Archer
A little attention, which cost nothing, would go a great ways, she said; and it was sometimes worth one's while to make an effort, even if they did not feel like it.
From Ethelyn's Mistake by Holmes, Mary Jane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
