"in one's own time" means: Taking as much time as one requires; when one is ready.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
in one's own time
Taking as much time as one requires; when one is ready.
Definitions
Taking as much time as one requires; when one is ready.
"in one's own time" means: Taking as much time as one requires; when one is ready.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"in one's own time" means: Taking as much time as one requires; when one is ready.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Comments
(UK) In one's free time; after hours.
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "in one's own time" (I)
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Semantically related
- own time, own target74%
(Singapore, slang) Without hurry or urgency, at one's own pace.
- take one's sweet time68%
(colloquial) To take a very long time; to be too slow or leisurely in getting something done.
- take one's sweet time65%
(colloquial, Malaysia, Singapore) To waste one's own time.
- reclaim one's time63%
(figuratively, by extension) To regain control of one's time from distractions, inefficiencies, or the demands of others.