Have you heard of the phrase “patience is a virtue?” How about “good things happen to those who wait?” And how about: “Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you can never get more time.”
We have many sayings in English about time and really throughout all cultures. English even “borrows” and translates some of these sayings and translates them to fit the English language.
This phrase originated in about the 1500’s and is often found in quotes and song lyrics today.
Meaning of “Time will tell”:
This phrase or proverb and is used to describe something that will become know or we will become aware of over the course of time.
Example 1
- It is difficult to say how his financial policies will eventually affect the markets, only time will tell.
Example 2
- We have finished the treatment, only time will tell how well he will recover and regain his abilities.
Dialog:
Neo: Hey Neo, what did you think about the meeting today?
Sebastian: Well it was interesting, the CFO talked about many different scenarios, but nothing seems a sure thing.
Neo: Yeah, I guess only time will tell.
Sebastian: Absolutely! Nothing is a sure thing and in the end, time can only give us the answer.
Neo: Yep, that is true. I wanted to ask you about your wife’s recovery. How is she doing?
Sebastian: Thanks for asking, Neo. She is recovering, and the doctor said it is too soon to know the prognosis. As with many things in life, only time will tell.
Other words you can create: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc. (ex: mug – mugger):
Collocations
Related Phrasal Verbs:
1. Hold on
When we use it in the context of only time will tell, we are saying to wait some time.
- We need to hold on and not be too quick to make a decision, only time will tell what the market will do.
2. Just wait until
We us this phrase to indicate a delay of something, usually for a better result or to avoid something bad.
- Emily, if you can just wait until we hear from Sally. Only time will tell how she will react to the news and we need to give her enough time to digest everything she was told.
3. All in good time
This phrase is used to indicate that waiting a period of time will result in a better outcome.
- We need to be patient things will become better all in good time and only time will tell if what we did was the best for everyone.
4. Not so fast
We use this to tell someone not to be in such a hurry to do or get something.
- As I said, not so fast, we need to really consider everything before we make such a major decision and only time will tell if I am right.
5. At the end of the day
We use this phrase to indicate something you say before giving the most important fact of a situation.
- Look, at the end of the day the buck stops with me. Only time will tell if what we decided is correct and I am willing to take the heat for any bad decisions made.
6. In the end
This is a phrase used to express eventually or upon reflection of something.
- Well, only time will tell if how we raised our kids will be appreciated. In the end, we did the best we could.
7. One day
In the context of only time will tell, we use this ti express a wish or desire for the future.
- One day I hope to be an engineer, only time will tell if I get the opportunity to go to school and graduate.
Related idioms:
In the nick of time
This phrase is used to describe a situation where something was completed just before a necessary deadline.
Sooner or later
We use this phrase to express doing or completing something before too much time has expired or gone by.
When all is said and done
When something is finished, solved or resolved.
In the long run
In the context of only time will tell, it means eventually after an long duration of time something will be known or done.
Synonyms (other ways to say):
- Only time will tell
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