English idiom

buy time

Register · Neutral CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

to create a delay that provides extra time to prepare or decide

Why this phrase?

Time is treated as a valuable commodity that can be purchased through delay.

Example

“The temporary agreement bought negotiators another week to find a solution.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

hang on a minute

used to ask someone to wait, or to express surprise or objection

for the time being

temporarily, until circumstances change

in the pipeline

being planned or developed and expected to happen soon

on the back burner

given low priority and left for later

bright and early

at the very start of the morning

early bird

someone who prefers beginning the day before most other people

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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