Word.ws English Dictionary

a week is a long time in politics

a week is a long time in politics phrase: in politics, much change can occur in a short space of time.

Phrase

a week is a long time in politics

  1. (idiomatic) In politics, much change can occur in a short space of time.

Origin of a week is a long time in politics

Usually attributed to British Prime Minister Harold Wilson in the mid-1960s. Also used by (and incorrectly attributed to) Australian PM Gough Whitlam in the 1970s.

Questions about a week is a long time in politics

What does a week is a long time in politics mean?
A week is a long time in politics means in politics, much change can occur in a short space of time.
What part of speech is a week is a long time in politics?
A week is a long time in politics is a phrase.

Words near a week is a long time in politics in the dictionary

  1. a watched pot never boils over
  2. A wave
  3. A waves
  4. a wee bit
  5. a week from next Tuesday
  6. a week is a long time in politics
  7. a whisper down the lane
  8. a whole 'nother
  9. a whole nother
  10. a wild goose never laid a tame egg
  11. a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: a week is a long time in politics (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-a week is a long time in politics.ogg.

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