It's about time

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'It's about time' is correct and usable in written English
You can use it when you think something is overdue and you are expressing your dissatisfaction or impatience. For example, "It's about time we got a raise; we have been working hard all year."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

Back to It's About Time.

Forbes

It's about time, too.

The New Yorker

It's about time.

The New York Times

"It's about time!" Krugman said.

The New Yorker

"It's about time this happened".

The New York Times - Sports

"It's about time for us.

The New York Times - Sports

It's about time we were.

Independent

It's about time she did.

The Guardian - Opinion

"It's about time," he said.

The New York Times

It's about time, right?

The Guardian - Opinion

It's about time, governor".

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "It's about time" to express a mix of relief and mild criticism when something delayed finally occurs. It works effectively as a standalone exclamation in dialogue or as an introductory clause followed by a subject and a verb in the past tense (e.g., 'It's about time we went').

Common error

A frequent mistake is following the phrase with the present tense when referring to a specific action. Because the idiom implies the action should have already happened, standard grammar requires the simple past or subjunctive. Instead of saying 'It's about time he arrives', use 'It's about time he arrived'.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "It's about time" functions as an idiomatic predicate used to express that something is overdue. As noted by Ludwig AI, it often serves as an empathetic or critical commentary on the timing of an event. Grammatically, it typically triggers a subjunctive mood in the following clause, even though it appears as a simple past tense (e.g., 'It's about time they realized').

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

85%

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

5%

Less common in

Science

2%

Academia

2%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "It's about time" is a robust and widely used idiomatic expression in English. It is predominantly found in media and journalistic contexts, where it serves to highlight that an event or decision has been delayed for too long. Ludwig AI analysis shows that the phrase is grammatically unique, often requiring a past tense verb even when referring to the present. Whether used as a standalone exclamation of relief or as a critique of institutional slowness, it remains one of the most effective ways to communicate that a threshold of patience has been reached and that action was necessary much earlier.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

It is about time that

A more formal expansion often used to introduce a subjunctive clause

About time too

A common British variant that adds 'too' for extra emphasis on the delay

It is high time

Adds a stronger level of emphasis or urgency than the original phrase

Long overdue

Shifts the grammatical function to an adjective phrase describing the event itself

Past time

Suggests that the ideal moment for action has already slipped by

Finally

A single-word adverb that captures the relief or satisfaction without the specific idiom structure

At last

Conveys a sense of relief after a long period of waiting

A long time coming

Focuses on the duration of the wait rather than the current moment of action

Better late than never

A related proverb that focuses on the positive outcome despite the delay

Well past the deadline

More literal and specific to a formal or business timeframe

FAQs

How to use "It's about time" in a sentence?

You can use it as a response to news, such as "'It's about time'!" or to introduce a clause like "'It's about time' the government took action". According to Ludwig AI, this phrase is common in news headlines to signal a long-awaited change.

What can I say instead of "It's about time"?

You can use alternatives like "it is high time", "finally" or "long overdue" depending on how formal you want to be.

Is it "It's about time" or "Its about time"?

The correct form is "'It's about time'". The apostrophe is required because it is a contraction of 'It is'. Using 'Its' (the possessive) is a common spelling error.

What is the difference between "It's about time" and "at last"?

While both express that a wait is over, "'It's about time'" often carries a slight tone of impatience or criticism regarding the delay, whereas "at last" usually emphasizes relief or triumph.