buy time

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English

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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buy time (third-person singular simple present buys time, present participle buying time, simple past and past participle bought time)

  1. (idiomatic) To purposefully cause a delay, in order to achieve something else.
    Synonyms: gain time, play for time
    We need you to buy us some time, so distract the security guard for a few minutes.
    • 2020 September 25, Reuters Staff, “Thai republican hashtag trends after constitution change delayed”, in Reuters[1], Reuters, retrieved 2020-09-25:
      Parliament, dominated by supporters of the government, voted on Thursday to delay making a decision on whether it will amend the constitution. The decision angered protesters and opposition parliamentarians, who accused parliament of trying to buy time.

Translations

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