Dictionary

bide one's time en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To wait, especially for a suitable opportunity.
   • “Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he’s still out there, bidin’ his time, like, but I don’ believe it. 1999, J. K. Rowling, “The Keeper of the Keys”, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Scholastic, Inc., →ISBN, →OCLC, page 57:
   • Ravenswood, who had assumed the disguise of a sewer upon the occasion, answered, in a stern voice, “I bide my time”; and at the same moment a bull’s head, the ancient symbol of death, was placed upon the table. 1819, Jedediah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter III, in Tales of My Landlord, Third Series. […], volume I (The Bride of Lammermoor), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, pages 66–67:
   • There are times, Machiavelli concedes, where it might be more advantageous to be cautious and bide one's time in order to ascertain the dispensation of the goddess more clearly. 2019, Andrew Herman, The “Better Angels” of Capitalism, Routledge, →ISBN:
   • Above the concourse, the underneath of the platforms has been clad with attractive wood panelling, while the columns holding them up are surrounded with seating - for use by passengers biding their time waiting for their trains, or who have used one of the 70-or-so eateries or shops that form part of the retail developments at the station. 2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: London Bridge”, in RAIL, number 948, page 31:
   • I sat on the rug, biding my time / Drinking her wine / We talked until two / And then she said, "it's time for bed" 1965, Lennon–McCartney, “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”, in Rubber Soul, performed by The Beatles:

Forms

Relateds

stall for time · cool one's heels · mark time · take one's time · wait and see

Synonyms

cool one's heels · kick one's heels

Translations (21)

hu kivárja a megfelelő időt/pillanatot/alkalmat (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · hu kivárja az idejét (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · nl de kans afwachten (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · sv bida sin tid (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · fr attendre son heure (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · tr fırsat kollamak (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · pl poczekać na właściwą chwilę (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · cmn 等待時機 /等待时机 (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · hu kivárja az alkalmas pillanatot (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · ru ждать своего́ ча́са (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · pl czekać na właściwą chwilę (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · fi odottaa sopivaa hetkeä (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · cmn 等機會 /等机会 (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · es esperar a su hora (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · de den rechten Augenblick abwarten (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · ru выжида́ть своё вре́мя (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · fi odottaa tilaisuuttaan (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · ko 벼르다 (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · ja 満を持す (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · ko 기회를 노리다 (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity) · es esperar a su momento (to wait, especially for a suitable opportunity)