tempus fugit

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Synonym of time flies.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Thời gian trôi nhanh

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

TEMPUS FUGIT!! And Christmas has Come Again, and with all its Joys and Pleasures, not the least of which IS THE ONE OF GIVING!!

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Expressing concern that one's limited time is being consumed by something which may have little intrinsic substance or importance at that moment; often, synonym of life is short.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Lo lắng thời gian hạn chế bị tiêu thụ bởi điều không quan trọng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “tempus fugit” mean?

Synonym of time flies.

Is “tempus fugit” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.