worth one's while

Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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.”

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Example Sentences

Surely it is worth one's while to hie early to the haunts of the birds to hear such a tumult of song.

From Our Bird Comrades by Keyser, Leander S. (Leander Sylvester)

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)

Do you long for "a job that is worth one's while?"

From More Toasts by Mosher, Marion Dix

"This is queerish; I'd give a trifle to know what it does mean; it might be worth one's while to inquire."

From A Woman Perfected by Marsh, Richard

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