expression🎓 English idiom

time flies

time passes quickly

What it means

Time seems to pass very quickly, especially when you are busy or enjoying yourself. It is often said in mild surprise at how fast a period has gone by.

Examples

  • I can't believe she's already ten, time really flies.
  • Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?
  • It feels like we just started, but time flies and the year's nearly over.
  • Wow, time flies, it's been five years since we graduated.

Where it comes from

The phrase comes from the Latin 'tempus fugit', meaning time flees, used by the poet Virgil. It has been a common English expression for centuries, often inscribed on clocks and sundials.

Related idioms

#once in a blue moon#at the drop of a hat#the early bird catches the worm#burn the midnight oil

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