no time to waste
7
3.3
- idiom
:
sin tiempo que perder
- We have no time to waste if we want to finish the project on schedule.
- you better get no time to waste
- Come on, gorgeous, no time to waste
However, there is no time to waste.
- However, there is no time to waste.
Examples
-
Biden pointed out that there was no time to waste because the world was moving too fast.
-
You've got to live life now, like there's no time to waste.
-
And there is no time to waste.
-
Hurry, my friends, we have no time to waste.
-
There is no time to waste.
-
His client was all the way across town, so he had no time to waste.
Fiction book (1996) -
Time was money, and Tom had no time to waste.
Fiction book (2000) -
We've got no time to waste.
-
There's no time to waste.
-
We've no time to waste.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
At once without waiting
960
1.0
Without any delay
330
1.0
Right away without any delay
50
3.2
Right away without any hesitation
10
7.7
To tell someone to hurry
7
3.2
Without delay after something happens
3
7.4
As quickly as possible
1
3.5
Time is very important when you need help fast
Act immediately because there may not be another chance
Antonyms
How Urgent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'no' (not any) + 'time' (available period) + 'to waste' (to squander), so the meaning 'there is no spare time; act immediately' is directly derivable from the constituents. This is a common, literal compositional pattern found across languages and standard English usage, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily understand it.
Etymology
No time to waste gives a simple picture: imagine a clock where every minute of time is being thrown away, so you cannot afford to waste any of it. That's why the phrase means 'to do something immediately, without any delay'.