Meaning & use
lost time
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
Time that is wasted or not used productively because of delays, problems, or absence.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'lost time', not 'a lost time' or 'lost times'.
Patterns
- make up for lost time
- lost time due to something
The accident caused a lot of lost time at the factory.
We need to work faster to make up for lost time.
Lost time due to computer problems is a serious issue.
noununcountablebusiness
In workplace safety, time an employee is absent from work because of an injury.
Grammar: Often used before another noun: 'lost time injury', 'lost time accident'.
Patterns
- lost time injury
- lost time accident
The company reported three lost time injuries this year.
A lost time accident means the worker cannot return the next day.
Safety training aims to reduce lost time cases.
Common combinations
- make up for lost time
- After the delay, we worked late to make up for lost time.
- lost time injury
- The factory had no lost time injuries last month.
- a lot of lost time
- The strike caused a lot of lost time.
- lost time due to
- Lost time due to traffic is common in big cities.
Synonyms and how they differ
- downtime
- Downtime is time when machines or systems are not working; lost time is a broader term for any unproductive time.
- delay
- A delay is a specific period of waiting; lost time is the total time wasted as a result.
Opposites
Commonly confused: lost time or loss time?
lost time vs loss time
'Loss time' is not a standard phrase; the correct expression is 'lost time'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'lost time' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Lost time' is uncountable, so it has no article and no plural. 'A lost time' and 'lost times' are not used in this common expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lost time”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.