take one's time

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

take one's time (third-person singular simple present takes one's time, present participle taking one's time, simple past took one's time, past participle taken one's time)

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To go about something slowly and carefully or at one's own pace.

   Take your time — there's no need to rush.

   • 1951 July, “Notes and News: Recalling 160 Years”, in Railway Magazine, page 492:

     Working with pick, shovel, and wheelbarrow, he took his time over the job, for it was not until May 17, 1816, that it was opened for traffic.

2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To take more time to do something than is considered acceptable.

   You sure took your time getting here!

Synonyms

• (to go about something slowly and carefully):
• (take more time to do something than is considered acceptable): dawdle, take too long, tarry

Translations

go about something slowly and carefully

• Catalan: prendre el seu temps
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 不着急, 慢慢来

• Dutch: de tijd nemen
• Estonian: mitte kiirustama
• Finnish: tehdä rauhassa (verb can be replaced with another)
• French: prendre son temps (fr)
• German: langsam angehen, sich Zeit lassen
• Hungarian: nem kell kapkodnia (with its infinitive form depending on the person[s], see its conjugation), ráérünk (literally “we have time”)
• Irish: glac am, tóg am
• Italian: con comodo, prendersela comoda
• Polish: nie śpieszyć się impf
• Scottish Gaelic: gabh ùine

take more time to do something than is considered acceptable

• Estonian: mitte kiirustama
• Finnish: kestää (fi) (+ subject in adessive)
• French: prendre son temps (fr)
• Hungarian: nem kapkodja el
• Italian: prendersela comoda
• Polish: marudzić (pl) impf
• Scottish Gaelic: gabh ùine

See also

• take time
• take someone's time
• in one's own time

References

• “take ones time”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.