time is at a premium
idiom
: something needs to happen or be done very soon
Overnight delivery is available when time is at a premium.
Examples of time is at a premium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Family time is at a premium during the winter months, and what better way to spend it than by revisiting old cinematic favorites?
—
Lia Beck, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
In today’s working world, synchronous time is at a premium.
—Anu Bharadwaj, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2024
Loud and clear The names painted on the Los Angeles skyscrapers are the faster and easier-to-complete fill-ins, since time is at a premium and the artists risk arrest.
—Colette Gaiter, The Conversation, 15 Feb. 2024
With five players who are 19 years old — including three first-round draft picks in Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley — teaching time is at a premium.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Oct. 2022
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Lia Beck, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
In today’s working world, synchronous time is at a premium.
—Anu Bharadwaj, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2024
Loud and clear The names painted on the Los Angeles skyscrapers are the faster and easier-to-complete fill-ins, since time is at a premium and the artists risk arrest.
—Colette Gaiter, The Conversation, 15 Feb. 2024
With five players who are 19 years old — including three first-round draft picks in Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley — teaching time is at a premium.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Time is at a premium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/time%20is%20at%20a%20premium. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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