take time

idiom

1

: to need or require time to happen or be done

You have to be patient. Things like this take time.

It may take some time for the medication to wear off.

The meeting won't take too much time.

This job is easy and will take no time at all.

2

or take the time : to use an amount of time in order to do something important

They never took the time to get to know her.

I took some time to think about it, and my answer is still "no."

Examples of take time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Which cities are best at encouraging workers to take time off to rest and recharge? —Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025

For the best flavor, stone-ground grits are the top choice, but good things take time. —Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 14 Dec. 2025

But the reintegration process of a high-usage player such as Herro to a Heat team using a completely new offense running the fewest pick-and-rolls in the league this season will take time. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Dec. 2025

Tree-planting projects, the most common type, take time to meet their promise as the trees grow, and wildfires and logging can wipe out the benefit. —Brian P. McCullough, The Conversation, 10 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for take time

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