“buy time”作为英语中高频使用的习语，其词源可追溯至19世纪中期，最早在1851年亚瑟·叔本华的《忠告与格言》中出现零星使用，20世纪初随着商业广告中“节省时间”概念的普及逐渐成为通用表达。其隐喻源头与军事策略密切相关，最初指指挥官通过战术拖延为评估战局、调集援军争取缓冲，后延伸至各类需要主动争取时间的场景。
现核心语义为通过刻意拖延、策略性举措推迟事件发生或决策制定，以获取额外准备、思考或等待有利条件的时间，拖延时间以……，争取时间；兼具中性与策略性色彩，既可指积极争取准备时间，也可指为规避即时后果的暂时拖延，核心是“通过拖延获取行动时间”。需注意与字面义“购买时间”区分，其本质是隐喻用法，强调时间的稀缺性与可争取性。如：
She told a white lie to buy time, hoping to sort out her feelings before responding to his proposal.
她撒了个善意的谎言来争取时间，希望在回应他的求婚前置理好自己的感情。
For months, Lily had been avoiding Mark’s question about their future. Every time he brought it up, she would change the subject or make excuses, hoping to buy time until she was sure about her feelings.
几个月来，莉莉一直在回避马克关于他们未来的问题。每次他提起，她都会转移话题或找借口，希望争取时间直到确定自己的心意。
Can we talk about it later?” he said, trying to buy a little more time to find the right words for his girlfriend.
我们能晚点再谈吗？”他说道，试图多争取点时间，为女友找到合适的措辞。
Most believe his vague promise of commitment is simply a bid to buy time to test their compatibility.
大多数人认为，他模糊的承诺只是为了争取时间来测试彼此的适配度。
The teacher allowed the student to submit the essay the next day, buying her time to revise the draft thoroughly.
老师允许学生第二天提交论文，为她争取了彻底修改草稿的时间。
Union leaders prolonged the negotiations to buy time for workers to prepare for potential strikes.
工会领导人延长谈判，为工人争取准备潜在罢工的时间。
The diplomat used technical discussions to buy time while waiting for official instructions from the capital.
外交官借助技术性讨论争取时间，等待首都的官方指示。
The general ordered a feint attack to buy time for the main force to withdraw safely.
将军下令佯攻，为主力部队安全撤退争取时间。
The company implemented temporary price freezes to buy time amid the economic crisis.
该公司实施临时价格冻结，在经济危机中争取时间。
They arranged a casual coffee meetup to buy time, unsure whether to continue their friendship after the misunderstanding.
那次误会后他们不确定是否继续做朋友，于是安排了一次轻松的咖啡会面来争取时间思考。
The couple decided to postpone the wedding to buy time to resolve their family disputes.
这对情侣决定推迟婚礼，争取时间解决家庭纠纷。
I just need to buy myself some more time to prove that I’m serious about our relationship.
我只需要再为自己争取一点时间，来证明我对我们的感情是认真的。《欢乐合唱团》
Keep him talking—we need to buy time for the SWAT team to get into position.
让他一直说话——我们得为特警队争取时间占据有利位置。《谈判专家》
Her rambling story was clearly an attempt to buy time, but I saw through it immediately.
她冗长的叙述显然是为了争取时间，但我立刻就看穿了。《神探夏洛克》
The company’s decision to launch a low-cost prototype was widely seen as an attempt to buy time. By releasing an incomplete product, they aimed to keep competitors at bay while perfecting the core technology.
该公司决定推出一款低成本原型车，被广泛认为是为了争取时间。通过发布不完整的产品，他们旨在在完善核心技术的同时牵制竞争对。（2024 CET-6）
During the debate, the student deliberately asked detailed questions to buy time. She needed a moment to organize her thoughts before delivering her final argument.
在辩论中，这位学生故意问一些详细的问题来争取时间。在发表最后的论点之前，她需要一点时间来整理自己的想法。（2022年北京中考）
