Time Verbs

In English, there are expressions for how to use your time. Sometimes, they are related to productivity and the amount of available time, so pay attention to how you use them.

to spend time - This is a neutral expression, which could be pleasant or not. It can be used to avoid mentioning the specific activity that you did, as in the first example.

Example: I spent time with my family last weekend.

I want to spend more time doing things that interest me.

I don't want to spend much time at dinner because I have a lot of work to do at home.

During the project, we spent a lot of time in the planning stage, so we couldn't spend much time preparing a presentation.

to pass time - If you pass time, or time passes, you are discussing the movement of time.

Example: While I was waiting in the airport, I passed the time by reading a book.

Time passes slowly when you're bored, but it passes quickly when you're having fun.

to waste time / waste of time - Time is being used unproductively, or counter-productively, in this case.

Example: I wasted a lot of time in high school hanging out and watching TV.

We worked really hard on our project, but it was a total waste of time because the professor didn't want to see it.

A friend of mine visited the city, but he said it was a waste of time.

to kill time / time to kill - This means you have time to do something, and you are occupying that time with an activity.

Example: I killed some time this afternoon watching some old movies.

My friends and I have all weekend to hang out, so we'll kill some time at the mall.

Because of the summer holiday, I have a lot of time to kill.

I have an appointment tonight, but I still have a few hours to kill. Do you want to go for coffee?