# time flies when you're having fun

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/time-flies-when-youre-having-fun
Updated: 2026-06-07

## Meaning

You don't notice how long something lasts when it's fun

## Examples

- The party is over already because time flies when you're having fun.
- I cannot believe it is already midnight, but I guess time flies when you're having fun with friends.
- Although the vacation lasted two weeks, it felt like a single afternoon, proving the old saying that time flies when you're having fun.

## Origin

From the Latin 'tempus fugit' (time flees), from Virgil's Georgics; the 'having fun' addition is a 20th-century embellishment. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.