to gain time
1
6.1
- phrasal verb
:
ganar tiempo
- The manager decided to gain time by postponing the meeting until everyone could attend.
And he says if once you gain time and delay, you will more easily become master of yourself.
- And he says if once you gain time and delay, you will more easily become master of yourself.
Examples
-
The conversation was becoming inane, but Pitt egged on the U-boat commander to gain time.
Blog text (16) -
I had a drink to gain time.
Fiction book (1994) -
And he says if once you gain time and delay, you will more easily become master of yourself.
-
Some might think this will help the regime gain time to solve its crisis of legitimacy.
Academic text (1991) -
Ordinarily, when the mountain people have to travel, they get up at dawn to gain time before the heat settles in.
Fiction book (1998) -
Monitors are an invaluable asset to school administrators and allow assistant principals to gain time for work on curriculum, visitation of classes, and other assignments given to them by the school principal.
Academic text (1990) -
The monarchy has sought to gain time by spending an extra $36bn (22bn) on welfare and salaries, but patronage politics may strike the wrong note at this stage.
Blog text (4) -
To gain time before the final decision, the team requested an extension on the project deadline.
-
During the negotiations, the diplomat tried to gain time to gather more information about the opposing country's position.
Synonyms
562
1.4
To make something happen later than planned
166
4.3
To delay doing something on purpose to get more time
23
4.1
To delay something on purpose to get more time to prepare
15
5.5
To delay something until a later time
6
4.8
To delay doing something to get more time
4
5.0
To delay on purpose to get more time before deciding or acting
2
9.3
To delay making a decision to gain time or avoid conflict
1
7.0
To wait longer than someone else to get an advantage
1
6.7
Use extra time on purpose so the other side cannot act
How Long
- Informal
23
5.1
96
3.9
1
6.1
166
4.3
562
1.4
234
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to deliberately delay or prolong something' is directly derivable from combining 'gain' (to obtain) with 'time' (a span available), i.e. to obtain more time. This compositional interpretation is supported cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'ganar tiempo') and follows normal English verb + noun semantics, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely understand it.
Etymology
Gain time gives a clear image: to gain extra time is like slowing a clock or asking small questions so you have more minutes. So it means 'to delay' or 'to get more time' before a decision.