there is no time like the present
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
One should do things now rather than delay
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
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 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “there is no time like the present” mean?
One should do things now rather than delay
Is “there is no time like the present” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.