play for time

phrase

: to try to make something happen later instead of sooner : to try to delay something

They're just playing for time, hoping that the situation will resolve itself.

Examples of play for time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Vladimir Putin is evidently continuing to play for time—that is also very clear to see. — Isabel Van Brugen, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025

This really feels more like a play for time than an effort to insulate this government action conclusively from judicial review. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2025

Rather than pressing for the second and decisive goal, the Black and Yellows tried to play for time. — Manuel Veth, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024

The third is building a communication architecture with Chinese counterparts that ensures clear, consistent, and credible exchanges but does not let Beijing use official dialogue to play for time and advantage. — Evan Medeiros, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2021

Rhymes for play for time

• aforetime
• allozyme
• anytime
• christmastime
• cybercrime
• dinnertime
• guggenheim
• isozyme
• lysozyme
• maritime
• mesenchyme
• overtime