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ProverbHub
EnglishLatin scriptExpression: Verified

Time and tide wait for no man.

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Meanings

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Patience and delayed outcomesReviewed 2026-08-24
Sense: Verified
Literal translation

Time and tide wait for nobody.

Natural translation

Time and tide wait for nobody.

Functional meaning

Warns that time and opportunity continue moving, so delay can forfeit the chance to act.

Usage context

Used as contrasting wisdom when waiting is riskier than timely action.

Community
Unknown
Region
Unknown
Historical period
Recorded from c. 1386, with later forms through 1850.
Register
historical proverb with continuing recognition

What supports this meaning

Period

  • English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases: A Historical DictionaryG. L. Apperson1929Dictionary

    Locator: p. 634, s.v. "Time", no. 15

    Recorded from c. 1386, with later forms through 1850.

    Claim: VerifiedHistorical or primary sourceAI data-completeness reviewer, 2026-08-24

    Rights cleared. Only short proverb strings and factual bibliographic or locator metadata; attribute and link the work; do not reproduce scan pages or surrounding dictionary entries.

Compared with

How this record reached us: AI suggested. This describes provenance and does not raise confidence.

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