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Meaning & use

carve time

phrase·Advanced

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UK/ˌkɑːv ˈtaɪm/
US/ˌkɑːrv ˈtaɪm/

Meaning

  1. phraseidiom

    to arrange your schedule so that you have time for something important, often by taking it from other activities

    Grammar: Used as a verb phrase: you carve time for something or carve out time to do something. It needs an object-like complement.

    Patterns

    • carve time for something
    • carve out time to do something
    • carve time out of something

    She carves time for reading every evening, even when she is busy.

    You need to carve out time to exercise if you want to stay healthy.

    The manager carved time out of her day to speak with each new employee.

Word forms

third person singularcarves time
past tensecarved time
past participlecarved time
-ing formcarving time

Common combinations

carve out time
He carved out time for his family despite a demanding job.
carve time for yourself
It is important to carve time for yourself each week.
carve time from a busy schedule
She carved time from a busy schedule to attend the workshop.
carve time to do something
They carved time to volunteer at the shelter.

Synonyms and how they differ

make time
More common and slightly more informal; it means to find or create time for something, often by adjusting your plans.
set aside time
Focuses on reserving a period for a specific purpose, often in a planned way.
allocate time
More formal and business-like; it suggests distributing time as a resource.

Word family

carve verb
to cut something into a shape or pattern, or to create something by cutting
carving noun
a piece of art or object made by cutting wood, stone, etc.

Commonly confused: carve time or carve out?

carve time vs carve out

'Carve out' is a phrasal verb meaning to create or obtain something by effort, often used with 'time', 'a niche', or 'a career'. 'Carve time' alone is less common; 'carve out time' is the standard phrase.

Practice

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