lose time

VERB

tarry

Synonyms

STRONG

abide bide dally drag dwell filibuster lag linger lodge loiter pause poke procrastinate remain rest sojourn stall stay stop tail temporize tool trail visit wait

WEAK

drag one's feet get no place fast goof around hang around hold the phone put off stick around stop over take one's time warm a chair

Antonyms

STRONG

advance allow carry out continue depart do forge go go ahead hurry leave move rush

WEAK

carry on complete finish

VERB

waste time

Synonyms

WEAK

burn daylight dally dawdle delay dillydally fiddle about fritter away time goof off kill time linger loiter lollygag pass the time piddle procrastinate shilly-shally take one's own sweet time take one's time tarry while away the time

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I’m just afraid that we will lose time while the new team comes to understand what is happening.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

For McLaren, there will be questions about strategy, after they pitted Piastri early in the race when he was second behind Verstappen, albeit beginning to lose time.

From BBC • May 18, 2025

"These workers, who are overwhelmingly Black workers, immigrant workers, and women, literally can't afford to take breaks or lose time to take care of their health," she explained.

From Salon • Jul. 19, 2023

She added that she rarely rewatched her old films: “I don’t have time to see new films. Why should I lose time watching my previous ones?”

From New York Times • Feb. 15, 2022

I hate to lose time, but I must veer from the course I had planned.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

lose time

Example Sentences

Related Words