time
∞
9.1
- noun
- /taɪm/
- Informal
:
condena
- You were in prison a long time.
- serve time
- jail time
- time in prison
And I've done serious time, so I've paid for.
- And I've done serious time, so I've paid for.
- And if you can't take do the time and don't do the crime, that's it.
Examples
-
I feel like you need, like, time in jail for this.
-
You know when I woke up in jail the last time, I asked them what I did.
Academic text (1991) -
The offer on his particular case would be time served, which is the day he spent in jail, and a fine, and that would be it.
-
It might save you some prison time.
-
In September, Nifong spent a brief time behind bars for having lied to the court.
Academic text (2008) -
If it were up to me, you'd be doing time with Mr. Snyder.
Fiction book (1992) -
After serving his time, he felt ready to reintegrate into society.
-
The judge sentenced her to six months of time in prison for her crime.
-
He had to do time for his involvement in the robbery.
Synonyms
∞
5.8
A fixed period of time during which something happens, for example a school session or a prison sentence
659
7.0
Punishment a court gives to someone found guilty, often prison time
19
4.2
A period of time someone must spend in jail as punishment for a crime
17
8.2
A period in prison that is especially severe
Idioms
- Informal
30
3.4
Free time when someone has nothing to do and can choose what to do
- Informal
8
4.5
A situation where people must finish something quickly before it is too late
Compounds
- Informal
161
4.1
A very successful level in entertainment or sport where people become famous
- Specialized
77
3.7
The time when you get information at once, for example stock prices or a heart rate
- Specialized
13
8.1
A four-dimensional framework that joins space and time where events happen
- Informal
12
6.0
A short extra time someone or something has after it was expected to end
- US
11
3.2
Time used in the central United States and some parts of Canada and Mexico, one hour behind Eastern Time
7
2.4
The standard time for the eastern United States, five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time
- Specialized
7
3.7
A list of numbers measured one after another at regular steps to show change, for example daily temperature or sales
- Specialized
7
4.5
The time between starting and finishing a process often used in business
- Specialized
4
5.0
A system that makes or gets parts exactly when needed to avoid keeping stock
How Long
Surface Forms
Etymology
Time meant a 'period', and in law it came to mean the period someone must spend in prison, so to 'do time' is to serve that period as punishment. That's why 'time' can mean years spent in jail.