pass the time
idiom
: to let time or a period of time go by especially while doing something enjoyable
We played games to pass the time on the bus.
Examples of pass the time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And small talk may help to pass the time but doesn’t invest that time with learning or vibrance or novelty.
—
Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
But again, maybe the best course of action is to forgo the internet's latest trend and instead get there early, enjoy a nice cup of coffee, and do a little people watching to pass the time.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 18 Feb. 2026
This way to pass the time dates back to the 1880s, just a few years after the phone was invented, and started with an undertaker, of all people, getting called to fetch the dead body of a not-so-dead woman.
—Arkansas Online, 17 Feb. 2026
His second book tells the story of Dan and Tamma, two high school seniors who pass the time by climbing boulders in the southern Mojave Desert.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pass the time
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Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
But again, maybe the best course of action is to forgo the internet's latest trend and instead get there early, enjoy a nice cup of coffee, and do a little people watching to pass the time.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 18 Feb. 2026
This way to pass the time dates back to the 1880s, just a few years after the phone was invented, and started with an undertaker, of all people, getting called to fetch the dead body of a not-so-dead woman.
—Arkansas Online, 17 Feb. 2026
His second book tells the story of Dan and Tamma, two high school seniors who pass the time by climbing boulders in the southern Mojave Desert.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pass the time
Cite this Entry
“Pass the time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass%20the%20time. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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