Meanings
- Money is wasted (in lost wages, missed opportunities, etc.) when a person's time is not used productively; time is valuable and should not be wasted.
His words and manner carried the crisp terseness of the busy man whose time is money.
1919, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 31, in Dawn3 more examples
Remember that Time is Money. He that can earn Ten Shillings a Day by his Labour, and goes abroad, or sits idle one half of that Day, tho’ he spends but Sixpence during his Diversion or Idleness, ought not to reckon That the only Expence; he has really spent or rather thrown away Five Shillings besides.
1748, Benjamin Franklin, “Advice to a young Tradesman, written by an old One”, in George Fisher, editor, The American Instructor: or Young Man’s Best Companion, 9th editionAnd what do you mean to do with your time this winter? You must remember that time is money.
1823, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 14, in The PioneersThe habit of overnight travel was encouraged by the introduction of third class sleepers in 1928, developed greatly during the war, and in an age when time as money has clearly come to stay; […].
1957 July 28, D. S. M. Barrie, “Sixty Years of British Expresses”, in Railway Magazine, page 456
Origin
Generally attributed to Benjamin Franklin. See the cite from 1748.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans tyd is geld
- tyd is geldtime is money
Arabic اَلْوَقْتُ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ
- اَلْوَقْتُ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ (al-waqtu min ḏahabin)time is money
Bulgarian вре́мето е па́ри
- вре́мето е па́ри (vrémeto e pári)time is money
Chinese Mandarin 一寸光陰一寸金 /一寸光阴一寸金, 時間就是金錢 /时间就是金钱
- 一寸光陰一寸金 /一寸光阴一寸金 (yīcùn guāngyīn yīcùn jīn)time is money
- 時間就是金錢 /时间就是金钱 (shíjiān jiù shì jīnqián)time is money
Czech čas jsou peníze
- čas jsou penízetime is money
Danish tid er penge
- tid er pengetime is money
Dutch tijd is geld
- tijd is geldtime is money
Estonian aeg on raha
- aeg on rahatime is money
Finnish aika on rahaa
- aika on rahaatime is money
French le temps vaut argent, le temps, c'est de l'argent
- le temps vaut argenttime is money
- le temps, c'est de l'argenttime is money
German Zeit ist Geld
- Zeit ist Geldtime is money
Greek ο χρόνος είναι χρήμα
- ο χρόνος είναι χρήμα (o chrónos eínai chríma)time is money
Hindi समय ही धन है
- समय ही धन है (samay hī dhan hai)time is money
Hungarian az idő pénz
- az idő pénztime is money
Indonesian waktu adalah uang
- waktu adalah uangtime is money
Italian il tempo è denaro
- il tempo è denarotime is money
Japanese 時は金なり
- 時は金なり (toki wa kane nari)time is money
Korean 시간은 돈이다
- 시간은 돈이다 (siganeun donida)time is money
Lithuanian laikas - pinigai
- laikas - pinigaitime is money
Malay masa itu emas
- masa itu emastime is money
Norwegian tid er penger
- tid er pengertime is money
Persian وقت طلاست
- وقت طلاستtime is money
Polish czas to pieniądz
- czas to pieniądztime is money
Portuguese tempo é dinheiro
- tempo é dinheirotime is money
Romanian timpul înseamnă bani
- timpul înseamnă banitime is money
Spanish el tiempo es oro
- el tiempo es orotime is money
Swedish tid är pengar
- tid är pengartime is money
Thai เวลาเป็นเงินเป็นทอง
- เวลาเป็นเงินเป็นทอง (wee-laa-bpen-ngən-bpen-tɔɔng)time is money
Turkish vakit nakittir
- vakit nakittirtime is money
Vietnamese thời gian là tiền bạc
- thời gian là tiền bạctime is money
Cite this entry
time is money. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/time%20is%20money
“time is money.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/time%20is%20money. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “time is money,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/time%20is%20money.
Source: time is money on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.