time spent

Meanings

1. 1phraseuncountable

   The amount of time that has been used or passed while doing something.

   Grammar: Uncountable; often followed by 'on' or 'doing': 'time spent on homework', 'time spent studying'.

   Patterns

   • time spent on something
   • time spent doing something
   • the time spent

   The time spent on training really improved the team's performance.

   She measured the time spent reading each day.

   Time spent with family is never wasted.

2. 2phraseuncountable

   Used to describe how much time was used in a particular way, often as a heading in reports.

   Grammar: Common in writing as a label: 'Time spent: 3 hours'.

   Patterns

   • time spent: [amount]
   • total time spent

   The report shows time spent on each task.

   Please record the total time spent on the project.

Common combinations

time spent on

The time spent on meetings has doubled this year.

time spent doing something

Time spent waiting at the airport can be used for reading.

total time spent

The total time spent on the repair was four hours.

time spent together

They value the time spent together as a family.

Synonyms and how they differ

duration

'Duration' is a formal word for how long something lasts; 'time spent' emphasizes the time used by someone.

hours

'Hours' is a more concrete way to talk about time spent, often in work contexts.

Word family

spend verb

To use time or money for something.

Commonly confused: time spent or time spending?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “time spent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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