Time is money means that wasted time costs as much as wasted money. In English, people most often use it to hurry someone: to get to the point, stop delaying or pay extra for speed. It sounds businesslike but is fine among friends too.
When would you say time is money?
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time is money; …, so + action / Time is money, so…
- Let's skip the small talk and start the meeting. Time is money.
- For freelancers, time is money, so they rarely do extra work for free.
- A taxi to the airport costs more, but time is money for me today.
What changed
First versionTime — money, so let's hurry.
RevisionTime is money, so let's hurry.
In some languages, a dash can stand in for the verb in a short saying like this. In English, the linking verb can't be left out: without is, the phrase looks like a fragment of a note. The dash was removed and is was added.
Don't confuse it with time flies: that's about how quickly time passes, not about its value: Time flies when you're having fun. Time is money is a reason to hurry; time flies is surprise that time has already gone.
Your turn
Our lawyer charges £200 an hour, so let's get to the point quickly. Time ___!
Show the answer
is money — The lawyer charges for every hour, so every minute costs money: time is money. Time flies is what you say when you're surprised how quickly time has passed, not when you're hurrying someone.
Describe a time when you paid more to save time. Say what you paid for and how much time you saved.
I paid extra for a direct flight to save four hours, because time is money for me.
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