Time is money

Cultural

If we don't use our working time to earn money, we are in effect losing money.

time is money Idioms

One's time is a valuable commodity, as in I can't stay home and wait any longer; time is money, you know. This proverbial term goes back to one first recorded in 1572, time is precious, in a discourse on usury.

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.

If time is money, and money is power, then who these characters spend their time with directly correlates to how wealthy and financially secure they can become.

From Salon

“Time is money! You waste time, you waste money! Now, Matt here”—he clapped Matthew on the back—“he’s seen the light! He starts work next week!”

From Literature

Deployment is really fast, and time is money in oil fields.

From Barron's

You’re frustrated because your time is money, especially your leisure time.

From MarketWatch

According to Mrs. Clarke, who reported on the whole situation to Penelope, the admiral grumbled and said, “I’ll wait if I must, but time is money, dear. I need to have more ostriches shipped from Africa as soon as possible, before the bad weather sets in. Wouldn’t want our future champions to be shipwrecked on some unmapped island somewhere and get eaten by cannibals!”

From Literature

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