Time refers to the inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events. It commonly describes a duration of time, an instant of time, and the measurement under some system of region of day or moment, which gives the term a broader and more practical sense than a single short definition would suggest. Depending on context, it can also point to ratio of comparison, the measured duration of sounds; measure; tempo; rate of movement; rhythmical division, and to measure or record the time, duration, or rate of, so the category can cover literal uses, related ideas, and more figurative extensions of the same core meaning. Taken together, these meanings present Time as a flexible theme rather than a narrowly technical label, covering the central idea people usually mean when they use the word while still leaving room for closely related senses that appear in real language. Additional shades of meaning include to choose when something begins or how long it lasts, to keep or beat time; to proceed or move in time, to pass time; to delay, to regulate as to time; to accompany, or agree with, in time of movement, and to measure, as in music or harmony, which reinforce how the category can stretch across adjacent but still recognizable uses of the same term.
