# time thief

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/time-thief
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Something or someone that consumes an inordinate amount of time, especially without achieving anything productive.

## Examples

- Social media is a huge time thief for me.
- I try to avoid long, unnecessary meetings because they are a major time thief during my busy workday.
- The constant stream of minor administrative requests proved to be a persistent time thief, preventing the researcher from focusing on her primary project.

---

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.