Antonyms for bide time

Grammar : Verb

Spell : bahyd

Phonetic Transcription : baɪd

Definition of bide time

Origin : Old English bidan "to stay, continue, live, remain," also "to trust, rely" (cognate with Old Norse biða, Old Saxon bidan, Old Frisian bidia, Middle Dutch biden, Old High German bitan, Gothic beidan "to wait"), apparently from PIE *bheidh-, an extended stem of one root of Old English biddan (see bid (v.)), the original sense of which was "to command," and "to trust" (cf. Greek peithein "to persuade," pistis "faith;" Latin fidere "to trust," foedus "compact, treaty," Old Church Slavonic beda "need"). Perhaps the sense evolved in prehistoric times through "endure," and "endure a wait," to "to wait." Preserved in Scotland and northern England, replaced elsewhere by abide in all senses except to bide one's time. Related: Bided; biding.

As in sit tight : verb be patient, wait
As in wait : verb pause, rest
As in mark time : verb wait around
As in tread water : verb wait
As in wait and see : verb watch and wait
As in delay : verb cause stop in action

Example sentences :

Prince Ching, as well as the empress dowager, seemed to waver, or at least to bide time.
Extract from : « Japan » by Various

He knew how to bide time, and was less apt to run ahead of public thought than to lag behind.
Extract from : « Our American Holidays: Lincoln's Birthday » by Various

Synonyms for bide time

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019