kill time, a couple of hours, etc.

kill (an amount of time)

To engage in an activity, usually an aimless or idle one, to occupy oneself, especially with the goal of making the amount of time seem to pass more quickly or less slowly. I'm going to walk down to the bookstore to kill a couple hours before my flight. Do you want anything? The game is great if you want to kill a few minutes here and there, but it gets pretty tiresome playing it for long stretches.

See also: amount, kill, of

kill time

To engage in an activity, usually a rather aimless or idle one, with the goal of making time seem to pass more quickly or less slowly. I'm going to walk down to the bookstore to kill time before my flight. Do you want anything? It used to be that people killed time at the train station by talking to each other, but now everyone is nose-deep in their phone.

See also: kill, time

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

kill ˈtime, a couple of ˈhours, etc.

,

have ˈtime, a couple of ˈhours, etc. to kill

do something to help pass the time while you are waiting for something: ‘What did you do at the airport when your plane was late?’ ‘We killed time by playing cards and doing crosswords.’ ♢ I had two hours to kill before the train left, so I went to see a movie.

See also: couple, kill, of

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017