a stitch in time saves nine
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: a stitch in time (saves nine)
Sense 1
A little effort expended sooner to fix a small problem prevents it from becoming a larger problem requiring more effort to fix later.
Một chút nỗ lực sớm sẽ ngăn chặn vấn đề nhỏ trở thành lớn
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Taking care of small problems now prevents larger ones later
Examples
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “a stitch in time saves nine” mean?
A little effort expended sooner to fix a small problem prevents it from becoming a larger problem requiring more effort to fix later.
Is “a stitch in time saves nine” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.