idiom · neutral
make up for lost time
UK/meɪk ʌp fɔː(r) lɒst taɪm/US/meɪk ʌp fɔːr lɔːst taɪm/make·up·for·LOST·time
to compensate for time that has been wasted or lost by working harder or faster
Examples
“After being ill for a month, I had to make up for lost time by studying extra hours every day.”
“We started late on the project, so now we’re working weekends to make up for lost time.”
“When you miss classes, it's important to plan how to make up for lost time.”
Band 8 sentence
“Having missed several lectures due to personal reasons, I had to make up for lost time by dedicating extra hours each evening to revision. — Vì vắng một vài buổi học do việc cá nhân, tôi phải bù đắp thời gian đã mất bằng cách dành thêm giờ mỗi tối để ôn tập.”
Collocations
- make up for lost time by studying
- make up for lost time with extra practice
Word family
Common mistakes
Dịch word-by-word sai trật tự: "make lost time up" hoặc bỏ 'up' viết: "make for lost time"→Đúng: "make up for lost time"
Chỉ dùng 'catch up' khi muốn nói 'bù thời gian đã mất' mà không hiểu khác biệt: "I will catch up lost time"→Nên nói: "I will make up for lost time" hoặc "I will catch up" (không cần 'lost time' với 'catch up')
Say it for a higher band
5catch up→6catch up with work→7+make up for lost time
Synonyms
catch up
compensate for lost time
Easily confused
catch up
“After returning from vacation, I had to catch up on my emails and assignments.”
make up for
“I stayed late at the office to make up for the hours I had missed earlier in the week.”
Related words
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In Time
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