Meanings
present singular third person kills time · participle present killing time · participle past killed time · past killed time · alternative killtime
- informalintransitiveTo engage in an activity whose only purpose is to make the time seem to pass more quickly; to fill the time between activities.
She had nothing better to do, so she went to the bowling alley to kill time.
5 more examples
Mrs. Autumn […] lay in bed always till it was very late this being one of those happy expedients for killing time (as the fashionable phrase is) which, to discover, employs the inventions of persons of rank and fortune.
1758, Charlotte Lennox, Henrietta, London: A. Millar, Volume 2, Book 4, Chapter 3, p. 129I had no intention of delivering my letter at the present moment, nor have I. But strolling on to the Bank to kill time, and having the good fortune to observe at the window […] a lady of a very superior and agreeable appearance, I considered that I could not do better than take the liberty of asking that lady where Mr. Bounderby the Banker does live.
1854, Charles Dickens, “Effects In The Bank”, in Hard Times. For These Times, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], →OCLC, 2nd book (Reaping), page 144You were still out, so she drove back downtown and went to a movie to kill time until after midnight, when she thought she’d be more likely to find you in.
1930, Dashiell Hammett, chapter 12, in The Maltese Falcon, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, pages 137–138The night air was passably cool and he strolled through the town at a measured pace, killing time till bedtime.
1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 14This was uneventful, except that I found myself consistently running in front of a fairly comfortable schedule, and after trying No. U.1 out on the bank from Creil to Survilliers with great success, had to kill some 8min time gained on the descent, a task which proved impossible, even though we were stopped opposite La Chapelle.
1961 March, ""Balmore"", “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, page 151
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe time it takes for something to kill something else.
Translations
Catalan fer temps
- fer tempsmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Chinese Mandarin 打發時間 /打发时间, 殺時間 /杀时间
- 打發時間 /打发时间 (dǎfā shíjiān)make time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
- 殺時間 /杀时间 (shā shíjiān)make time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
- 挨時間 /挨时间 (ái shíjiān)make time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Finnish tappaa aikaa
- tappaa aikaamake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
French tuer le temps, passer le temps
- tuer le tempsmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
- passer le tempsmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
German Zeit totschlagen
- Zeit totschlagenmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Greek σκοτώνω τον καιρό
- σκοτώνω τον καιρό (skotóno ton kairó)make time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Hungarian elüti az időt
- elüti az időtmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Icelandic drepa tímann
- drepa tímannmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Italian ingannare il tempo
- ingannare il tempomake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Japanese 時間をつぶす
- 時間をつぶす (jikan o tsubusu)make time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Korean 시간을 보내다
- 시간을 보내다 (sigan-eul bonaeda)make time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Norwegian slå ihjel tid
- slå ihjel tidmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Polish zabijać czas, zabić czas
- zabijać czasmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
- zabić czasmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Portuguese matar o tempo
- matar o tempomake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Romanian omorî timpul
- omorî timpulmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Russian убива́ть вре́мя, уби́ть вре́мя
- убива́ть вре́мя (ubivátʹ vrémja)make time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
- уби́ть вре́мя (ubítʹ vrémja)make time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Spanish matar el tiempo
- matar el tiempomake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Swedish fördriva tid, slå ihjäl tid
- fördriva tidmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
- slå ihjäl tidmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
- döda tidmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Thai ฆ่าเวลา
- ฆ่าเวลาmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Turkish vakit öldürmek
- vakit öldürmekmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Vietnamese giết thời gian, giết thì giờ
- giết thời gianmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
- giết thì giờmake time seem to pass more quickly by doing nothing important
Cite this entry
kill time. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kill%20time
“kill time.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kill%20time. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kill time,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kill%20time.
Source: kill time on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.