merit your time

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "merit your time" is not correct in standard written English.
It seems to be an attempt to convey that something is worth your time, but it is not a commonly used expression. Example: "I hope this presentation will merit your time and attention, as we have some important updates to share."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Of course, your friendship with him may be a priority of yours, so his issue may merit your time.

HuffPost

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

There are too many people in the world who merit your interest to waste valuable time on a bore.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Finally, the New Orleans Museum of Art merits a few hours of your time, for its superb glass collection, its Paul Storr silver, its three Derains and three Miros, its Gilbert Stuart portrait of Maj.

The New York Times - Arts

With friends who merit face time, arrangements are carried out via electronic transmission.

The New York Times

It's another complaint that has lost none of its merit over time.

The Guardian - Opinion

Mutombo has needed minutes to regain his form, but has not played well enough to merit the time on the court.

The New York Times - Sports

(For the most part, these companies deal not with felony probationers — "probation" as it's usually understood — but with people whose offenses are often too minor to merit jail time).

The New Yorker

In Rosberg, they have a man who can win when Hamilton hits trouble and who is good enough to beat him on merit from time to time.

BBC

So far, there's no evidence that Hauser if he in fact engaged in any misconduct at all did anything bad enough to merit jail time.

Science Magazine

What could redeem this is Pronger's intelligence and resume, assets that merit allowing time to see if he can avoid favoring the hand that's feeding him.

Los Angeles Times

A 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.

WikiHow

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider the specific context and choose a phrase that accurately reflects the intended meaning, such as whether something is valuable, deserving, or efficient.

Common error

Avoid directly translating the intended meaning of "merit your time". Instead of trying to force the word "merit" into the phrase, choose a more natural expression that conveys the idea of something being "worth your time" or "deserving your attention".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "merit your time" functions as a verb phrase intended to express that something is deserving of one's time. However, as Ludwig AI points out, this is not standard English. The intended function is to highlight the value or importance of dedicating time to a particular activity or subject.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

30%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

7%

Wiki

7%

Formal & Business

6%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "merit your time" attempts to convey that something is worthy of one's time, Ludwig AI indicates that it is not a standard or grammatically correct English expression. Its intended purpose is to persuade someone that dedicating time to something is justified. More appropriate alternatives include phrases like "be worth your time" or "deserve your attention". Given its rarity and grammatical issues, it's best to avoid using "merit your time" in formal or professional contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

be worthy of your time

Replaces "merit" with "be worthy of", emphasizing the deserving quality.

deserve your time

Uses "deserve" instead of "merit", focusing on entitlement.

be worth investing your time in

Adds the concept of investment, suggesting a return or benefit.

warrant your time

Replaces "merit" with "warrant", indicating justification.

be deserving of your attention

Shifts focus to attention rather than time, implying focus.

be valuable to spend time on

Focuses on the value derived from spending time.

be an effective use of your time

Emphasizes efficiency and optimal use of time.

justify the time spent

Highlights whether the activity can reasonably take that long to complete.

be a good way to allocate your time

Rephrases as a question of resource allocation.

make good use of your time

Highlights the activity as a valuable option when allocating your time.

FAQs

What does "merit your time" mean?

The phrase "merit your time" is not a standard English expression. It attempts to convey that something is worthy of your time or attention, although it's not a commonly used idiom.

Is "merit your time" grammatically correct?

While understandable, "merit your time" isn't considered grammatically correct in standard English. It's better to use phrases like "deserve your time" or "be worthy of your time".

How can I use "merit" in a sentence correctly to convey a similar meaning?

Instead of "merit your time", you could say "This task does not "merit attention" right now" or "The issue may "merit consideration"".

What are some alternatives to "merit your time" that sound more natural?

More natural alternatives include "be worth your time", "deserve your attention", or "warrant your time". These phrases clearly communicate that something is valuable enough to dedicate time to.