pass the time
Idioms-
Occupy oneself for an interval, as in The plane was six hours late but I passed the time reading a book .
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pass the time of day . Exchange greetings, engage in pleasantries, chat, as in Whenever I met her we would stop to pass the time of day . [First half of 1800s]
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.
To pass the time, people told stories and often sang long into the night, anything to avoid the stuffy cabins underneath their feet.
From Literature
To pass the time, Maggie sat in a chair facing the sunny window and settled in to read a book of French language exercises.
From Literature
We’ll share memories of the Very, Very Far North to pass the time.
From Literature
For example, if you hate your commute to work, try leaving earlier to avoid traffic or play a podcast or audio book to pass the time.
From Barron's
Olka had explained she was not stealing, merely borrowing the book to pass the time as she cleaned.
From Literature
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.
