face time
B2Informal, common in business and workplace contexts.
Definition
Meaning
Time spent in direct, personal interaction with someone, often in a professional context to build relationships, demonstrate presence, or gain visibility.
Can refer to time spent on a video call (e.g., FaceTime) or, more metaphorically, the intangible social capital gained from being physically seen by superiors or colleagues.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Originally business jargon, now widespread. The capitalized form 'FaceTime' refers specifically to Apple's video-calling service. The uncapitalized form is the generic concept.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Concept is identical. The term is slightly more ingrained in American corporate culture but is fully understood in the UK.
Connotations
In both varieties, it can have a slightly cynical connotation when referring to the need to be seen for career advancement rather than for substantive work.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English, but common in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
get face time with [person]need face time from [person]give [person] face timeVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Get face time with the brass”
- “It's all about face time”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Essential for career advancement; refers to time with managers or clients.
Academic
Rare, except in sociological/business studies discussing workplace culture.
Everyday
Can refer to wanting to catch up with a friend in person.
Technical
Not applicable in a pure tech sense, except referencing the app.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The new consultant made sure to get plenty of face time with the director during the London conference.
- In this remote role, you must proactively schedule virtual face time with your team.
American English
- She felt her career stalled because she couldn't get face time with the VP in New York.
- The sales rep prioritized face time with key accounts over email communication.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I had a little face time with my manager after the meeting.
- It's good to have some face time with the team each week.
- To secure the promotion, you need more face time with senior leadership.
- Remote workers often worry about a lack of face time affecting their opportunities.
- The culture here implicitly rewards face time over actual productivity, which is frustrating.
- His strategy was pure optics—calculated face time in the executive dining room to build his internal brand.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of your FACE being seen for a period of TIME. To advance, you need your FACE in front of the boss's for some TIME.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS A RESOURCE (to be spent, given, or earned); VISIBILITY IS PROXIMITY.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate literally as 'время лица'. The concept is 'личное общение' or 'встреча с глазу на глаз'. 'Фейстайм' is understood only as the Apple service.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'face time' to mean any meeting (it implies a relationship-building or visibility aspect).
- Writing as one word 'facetime' when not referring to the app.
- Confusing with 'face the time'.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary connotation of 'face time' in a modern business context?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. While it means valuable access, it can be used critically to describe corporate cultures that reward visibility over merit or where such access is unfairly distributed.
Yes, especially post-2020. 'Virtual face time' via video call is now a common and accepted form, though the original term implied physical co-presence.
'FaceTime' (capitalized) is a proprietary Apple service for video calls. 'face time' (lowercase) is the general concept of personal interaction or visibility.
It is standard business informal/jargon. It would be understood in a business meeting but is likely too informal for a formal contract or legal document.