buy time

phrase

: to delay an imminent action or decision : stall

Examples of buy time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The releases buy time, but mean inventories are being consumed rather than rebuilt, making restocking a longer-term source of demand. — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026

Aided by both banks’ employees buying time, citizens had taken guns and ammunition from the hardware store. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026

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

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