idiom · informal

take your time

UK/ˌteɪk jɔː(r) ˈtaɪm/US/ˌteɪk jʊr ˈtaɪm/take·your·TIME

speaking

do something slowly and without hurrying

Examples

Take your time answering; accuracy is more important than speed here.

If you don't understand the question, take your time and think it through.

The examiner told me to take my time so I could organise my ideas.

Band 8 sentence

During the speaking test, I decided to take my time with each answer so my language was more accurate.

Collocations

  • take your time doing something
  • take your time to do something

Word family

take your time verb phrasetaking your time gerund/participle

Common mistakes

take timetake your time

take your timestake your time

Take your time, please hurryTake your time

Say it for a higher band

5don't hurry6don't rush7+take your time

Synonyms

don't rush

go slowly

Easily confused

waste time

Don't waste time on minor details when you have 40 minutes for the essay.

kill time

I read magazines to kill time while waiting for my appointment.

Related words

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In Time

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