buy time

phrase

: to delay an imminent action or decision : stall

Examples of buy time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Removing standing access reduces blast radius and buys time, while quick access withdrawal across hybrid environments blocks attacker pathways. — Robert Bobel, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Mayor Karen Bass and her opponent, City Councilmember Nithya Raman, dropped new campaign commercials over the last week, buying time on television, streaming channels and other platforms. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Esposito controls a tough pass well, buys time and backheels it to Federico Dimarco, who shoots wide. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Supporters of the administration view this back and forth as a cunning ploy to buy time for the United States to position itself more advantageously for a confrontation. — Leonard A. Schuette, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for buy time

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime