a matter of time
99
3.2
- idiom
:
cuestión de tiempo
- But for him, it is only a matter of time.
- only a matter of time
- just a matter of time
- seem a matter of time
It's going to get to everything, just a matter of time.
- It's going to get to everything, just a matter of time.
- It was, it was really, really only going to be a matter of time.
- Of course, when you're involved in gun war shootings, like you said, everything, it's a matter of time before you do get nicked.
- While they're still nowhere near humans in terms of general reasoning skills, I think it's only a matter of time until they get there.
- And there is so much stuff up there that it's probably just a matter of time until a huge problematic accident takes place.
- But I mean, is it, is it just a matter of time before they reach this, before Doge reaches this?
- So I believe it's only a matter of time before the world flip flops and sends jets to Ukraine.
- No, the more accurate read on this is that it's a matter of time before they are as cruel to you as they are to everyone else.
- And apparently the people standing there with this person whose name is Jack said, you know, it's probably just a matter of time before the feds will be here.
- And in a matter of time, they're just, we're ants and they're gods.
- And like I think it's a matter of time before everyone experiences at one point.
- So these cracks, it's just be a matter of time to see how bad they end up being.
- And now I think it's a matter of time very quickly before it's going to be much more equitable in late night.
Examples
-
I knew it was only a matter of time.
-
The sun was still shaded, but she knew it would only be a matter of time.
Fiction book (1996) -
It's mostly a matter of time and energy.
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And now it's just a matter of time.
-
It's just a matter of time.
-
It's only a matter of time before someone owns the information.
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What if it's just a matter of time for all of us?
Fiction book (1990) -
It's only a matter of time before it blows.
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They do exist out there, and it's just a matter of time before we find them.
-
I knew it was only a matter of time before he got promoted.
Synonyms
491
3.5
After some time has passed, not right away
37
5.1
Something likely to cause trouble soon
Antonyms
How Likely
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'matter' (an issue/thing) and 'time' (temporal duration), so a learner who knows the words can infer that the issue is determined by time — i.e. it depends on when rather than if. However, the pragmatic sense 'it will inevitably happen / only a question of when' is a conventionalized inference and carries idiomatic nuance, so the relation is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
A matter of time gives a simple picture: the only matter left is time, like a clock counting down to an event. So it means 'will definitely happen', even if you do not know exactly when.