pass the time
idiom
: to let time or a period of time go by especially while doing something enjoyable
We played games to pass the time on the bus.
Examples of pass the time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Facebook, Instagram and all Meta platforms are experiencing an outage right now and social media users took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to report the outage and make jokes to pass the time.
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Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2024
For many winter-recreation devotees, these sports are more than just activities to pass the time.
—Talia Barrington, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2024
People are finding new forms of entertainment, new tech toys to pass the time.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024
Hart’s mother, a math teacher, encouraged her pattern-seeking, giving her math puzzles to pass the time.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024
Plus, investigating crimes is a good way to pass the time while trapped in a never-ending sensory deprivation tank session.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
Booking a spring break trip, binging a TV show (mine: Traitors on Peacock), and finding the best shopping deals to pass the time while staying cozy on your couch.
—Gabrielle Porcaro, Travel + Leisure, 14 Feb. 2024
The canine likes to pass the time by sunbathing, playing, and going on long car rides.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024
Patrons could pass the time between races thumbing through the wall calendars that are an annual giveaway item on opening day.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2023
Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2024
For many winter-recreation devotees, these sports are more than just activities to pass the time.
—Talia Barrington, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2024
People are finding new forms of entertainment, new tech toys to pass the time.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024
Hart’s mother, a math teacher, encouraged her pattern-seeking, giving her math puzzles to pass the time.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024
Plus, investigating crimes is a good way to pass the time while trapped in a never-ending sensory deprivation tank session.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
Booking a spring break trip, binging a TV show (mine: Traitors on Peacock), and finding the best shopping deals to pass the time while staying cozy on your couch.
—Gabrielle Porcaro, Travel + Leisure, 14 Feb. 2024
The canine likes to pass the time by sunbathing, playing, and going on long car rides.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024
Patrons could pass the time between races thumbing through the wall calendars that are an annual giveaway item on opening day.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pass the time.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pass the time
Cite this Entry
“Pass the time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass%20the%20time. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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