buy time

Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal, Financial.

buy time

To stall or delay in order to gain more time to do something. A noun, pronoun, or reflexive pronoun can be used between "buy" and "time," as can words like "more" and "some." I'm so sorry I'm running late to the party, but I'm almost there now—buy me some time so that I don't miss the cake-cutting! It's just such a big decision. What can we say to the bank to buy ourselves more time? I'll do my best to buy some time, but you need to get here soon—the press won't wait forever.

See also: buy, time

buy time

to postpone an event hoping that the situation will improve. You are just stalling to buy time. Maybe I can buy some time by asking the judge for a continuance.

See also: buy, time

buy time

Increase the time available for a specific purpose. For example, Renting an apartment buys them time to look around for a new house.

See also: buy, time

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

buy (yourself) time

If someone buys time or buys themselves time, they do something to give themselves more time. Knight was buying time while he considered his next move. He summoned the waiter, placed the order, and bought himself the time he needed.

See also: buy, time

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

buy time

adopt tactics which delay an event temporarily so as to have longer to improve your own position.

See also: buy, time

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

buy ˈtime

delay something that seems about to happen: This treatment can buy time for the patient, but I’m afraid it will not cure him.

See also: buy, time

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

buy time

To increase the time available for a specific purpose: "A moderate recovery thus buys time for Congress and the Administration to whittle the deficit" (G. David Wallace).

See also: buy, time

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

See also:

References in periodicals archive ?

He added: "I was a bit disappointed with Can't Buy Time at Newbury last time and he took a while to get over that race, but he seems in good form now.

O'NEILL IS HOPING IT'S HIS TIME

''At this stage, it's more than likely Tony will ride Can't Buy Time.'' Coral reacted by cutting Can't Buy Time to 20-1 from 25-1 and spokesman David Stevens said: ''It has been suggested that Tony McCoy will be on board Can't Buy Time and punters have been quick to back the horse in the hope the champion will end his Grand National hoodoo.'' Mullins has another leading Grand National contender on his hands in Snowy Morning and totesport have cut him to 20-1 from 25-1 following solid support, but the trainer was unable to confirm jockey plans for the 2008 third.

Bookies look for Time on their side

McManus' racing manager Frank Berry said: "Paul Townend is probably going to ride Arbor Supreme and we're not certain yet whether AP (Mc-Coy) will ride Don't Push It or Can't Buy Time.

McCoy may Buy Time in his bid to secure National victory

The National is one of the few major prizes to have eluded McCoy, but following Can't Buy Time's two-and-a-quarter-length victory over Private Be the eight-year-old emerged as a possible partner for the rider at Aintree in April.

Time could be right for McCoy bid

"The reality is there is no military option that does anything more than buy time," Gates said in an interview with CNN television.

US military action against Iran would only buy time : Gates

Ironically, Can't Buy Time is owned by McCoy's employer JP McManus.

NICHOLLS SINGING BUT McCOY MUTED

McCoy threw everything at Eric's Charm in a bid to win the totesport.com Master Chase, but it came to nothing as young Richie McLernon cruised past onMcManus-owned favourite Can't Buy Time.

McCOY HAS TO WAIT

card is the best way for it to buy time at this juncture.

Asian editorial excerpts

Atikokan mayor Dennis Brown remains hopeful another postponement of the McGuinty government's goal to eliminate all coal-fired generating stations will buy time for the 200 megawatt plant in his northwestern Ontario community.

Buying time for Atikokan plant

But there are steps policymakers and communities can take to help cushion the negative impact of declining enrollment on schools to ensure that "no child left behind" also means "no place left behind." This report details 20 policies that can help provide students in communities experiencing declining enrollment with a high quality education and also buy time for communities to rebound, improve, or adjust to changes in population and revenue.

Breaking the Fall: Cushioning the Impact of Rural Declining Enrollment. Rural Trust Policy Brief Series on Rural Education

Look broadly at risk, as it's not just about operational execution or more traditional financial risks, such as credit or treasury risk, but increasingly embraces areas like "reputation risk." As finance executives understand that the financial results of any business event are the last step in the chain, they must aggressively seek insights upstream that provide visibility to future financial results and buy time to react and respond.

David A. J. Axson

Mendez said that the plan is instead to buy time to cut fraud and increase the number of paying consumers of the EdeNorte and EdeSur power distribution units.

Edenorte, Edesur privatization postponed

Willoughby says that a major element of this strategy was to buy time for Giese's immune system to eradicate the virus.

One in a million: patient survives late-stage rabies infection

Alfred Molina credibly plays the entrepreneurial priest Johann Tetzel, whose indulgence sale in Germany was the spark triggering Luther's latent animus against what he viewed as a decadent church that manipulated simple peasants into believing they could buy time from purgatory for their loved ones.

Film provides a glimpse of an early schism

The hypothermic response will buy time for the rodent's body to detoxify harmful agents, but it may also slow the clearance of some chemicals.