kill (the) time
idiom
informal
: to spend time doing something while one is waiting
We killed time watching the sailboats on the river.
We killed the time between trains playing video games.
Examples of kill (the) time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The crowd sounded and looked disengaged as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon tried to kill time onstage.
—
Jill Colvin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
Perkins mentions bringing his son to the similarly starry Pierce Brothers Memorial Park in Westwood to kill time while his wife was at an appointment nearby.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 July 2024
Even the boring parts—watching people kill time, waiting around to play or for inspiration to strike—seem freighted with possibility.
—Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Coming along for the ride, seemingly at her insistence, is boyfriend Owen (Hemsworth), definitely a guy not on the intellectual level of the others but instead a plus-one who clearly feels awkward in this company, left to his own devices to kill the time.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for kill (the) time 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jill Colvin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
Perkins mentions bringing his son to the similarly starry Pierce Brothers Memorial Park in Westwood to kill time while his wife was at an appointment nearby.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 July 2024
Even the boring parts—watching people kill time, waiting around to play or for inspiration to strike—seem freighted with possibility.
—Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Coming along for the ride, seemingly at her insistence, is boyfriend Owen (Hemsworth), definitely a guy not on the intellectual level of the others but instead a plus-one who clearly feels awkward in this company, left to his own devices to kill the time.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for kill (the) time
Dictionary Entries Near kill (the) time
Cite this Entry
“Kill (the) time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kill%20%28the%29%20time. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share