Time: English Vocabulary List

a day that will always be remembered by an exceptionally good thing that has happened on it

"The day she graduated was a red-letter day."

"The day she received her university acceptance letter was a red letter day for her family."

the specific moment when an event or action is scheduled to begin or take place

"It's zero hour."

"The soldiers waited in tense silence for zero hour to commence their strategic operation against the enemy."

the time in which a critical event or action happens

"The moment of truth had finally arrived."

"The moment of truth arrived when the chef opened the oven to see if the cake had risen properly."

a point at which a drastic change occurs in a situation, especially one that makes it improve

"It was important turning point."

"The discovery became a very important turning point in the history of medical science and helped millions of patients."

used for referring to the time after something has happened or been done

"We will celebrate on the other side."

"The community felt a sense of relief and optimism on the other side of the long and difficult election period."

to happen very closely after something else has happened

"It came close on heels."

"The new policy came hard on the heels of the economic crisis that had affected millions of people."

a day of great misfortune and unhappiness

"It was a black day for the team."

"It was a black day for the team when their star player suffered a season ending injury."

used when something happens almost at the same time as another

"He laughed and cried in the same breath."

"She praised his work and criticized him in the same breath which confused everyone listening."

to have no idea how much time has passed or what has happened

"I lost track of time."

"When I started reading that fascinating novel, I completely lost track of time and missed my bus."

to not be busy with anything

"Now that I am retired, I have time on my hands."

"Since he retired he has too much time on his hands and does not know what to do with it."

to go through a process in a way that is natural, normal, or expected

"Let the event run its course."

"We decided to let the argument run its course, hoping they would resolve their differences naturally."

to be too soon to determine what something will result in, particularly because it is still in its early stages of development

"It is early days yet."

"The doctors said it is still early days yet, so we should wait before making any final decisions about treatment."

during the time of year that a type of food, vegetable, or fruit is not naturally grown or easily found

"This is out of season."

"We were disappointed to learn that the fresh strawberries were out of season."