What Does “It’s Been a Minute” Mean? Definition, Examples, & Origins

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Learn how to use this slang expression effortlessly

Co-authored by Language Academia and Bailey Cho

Last Updated: January 9, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Meaning
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• Usage
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• Responses
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• Origins
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• Meaning of "It’s Been a Hot Minute”

|Show more |Show less

“It’s been a minute” is another way of saying you haven’t seen someone or done something in several weeks, months, or years. Oftentimes, it’s used when you run into an old friend or acquaintance unexpectedly, but it can also be used to describe an activity or experience you haven’t tried in a while. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about the phrase “It’s been a minute,” including its usage, responses, and origins.

Things You Should Know

• “It’s been a minute” means you haven't seen someone or done something in a long time.
• Say “It’s been a minute” if you bump into someone in public, if they text you out of the blue, or if you haven't done an activity in a while.
• "It’s been a hot minute" is another way of saying “It’s been a really long time.”

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

What does “It’s been a minute” mean?

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1. 
   “It’s been a minute” is another way of saying “It’s been a long time.” Used over text and in person, “It’s been a minute” means you haven’t seen someone or done something in a while. Since it’s a slang expression, reserve it for casual conversations with friends, family members, your significant other, or close colleagues.

   • Them: “Want to hit Laguna next Saturday?🏄”
   • You: “Sure! It’s been a minute since I went to the beach…What are you bringing?”
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Section 2 of 5:

When & How to Use “It’s Been a Minute”

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1. 
   1
   Say “It’s been a minute” to express you haven’t seen someone in forever. Did you just bump into your former classmate at a party or have a childhood friend text you unexpectedly? “It’s been a minute” is the perfect phrase to highlight that you haven’t seen or spoken to someone in ages. Use it to reconnect with someone, make plans together, or simply be polite.

   • “Julie? Wow! It’s been a minute since I’ve seen you. You look great!!”
   • “OMG, it’s been a minute since I last talked to you. How’s life been lately?✨”
   • “Yo, Dan! It’s been a minute since I last saw you! Are you still working at Dell?”
2. 
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   Use “It’s been a minute” to discuss something you haven’t done in a while. If it’s been weeks, months, or years since you last experienced something, use “It’s been a minute” to express that you’re a little rusty or unprepared. It communicates that you’ve done the activity before, but you might not remember all the details.

   • “It’s been a minute since I went snowboarding, so go easy on me.”
   • “Actually, I think I’ll order the bolognese. It’s been a minute since I’ve eaten pasta.”
   • “I think we’re going to visit the Statue of Liberty. It’s been a minute since we’ve done tourist-y things as a family🗽”
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Section 3 of 5:

How to Respond to “It’s Been a Minute”

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1. 
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   Acknowledge the time gap and express excitement to reconnect. This gets rid of any awkwardness and lets the other person know that you’re willing to continue your relationship. Smile, maintain eye contact, and express genuine interest in their life to make them feel valued. If you like, suggest plans to meet up in the future, or politely wish them well if you don’t want to reconnect.

   • “It really has been a minute! I want to say 2 or 3 years to be exact…How have you been, and is everything alright with your family?”
   • “Wow, it’s so great to see you! I can’t believe it’s been a year since I last saw you. How is life? I saw you got married on Facebook, so congratulations!”
   • “OMG, I was just thinking about you the other day. Thanks for reaching out! What have you been up to for the past 6 months? I saw you just launched a new product—that’s so exciting😁”
2. 
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   Ask them open-ended questions to keep the conversation going. If someone mentions that they haven’t experienced something in a long time, ask them follow-up questions to be friendly and show interest in their life. These questions depend on the context of your conversation, but some versatile questions include:

   • “Are you nervous about doing it again?”
   • “Wow, when was the last time you did that?”
   • “Just curious, is there a reason you haven’t done that in a while?”
   • “What are you looking forward to the most when you try that again?”
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Section 4 of 5:

Origins of “It’s Been a Minute”

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1. 
   “It’s been a minute” stems from African American vernacular. Although the exact origin of the phrase is unknown, “It’s been a minute” is an understatement that was first recorded by African Americans in the 1970s. It was later adopted by college students, before spreading into mainstream culture.

   • Some believe that the phrase derives from “It was a hot minute,” which dates back as early as 1847 (from Douglas Jerrold’s The History of St. Giles and St. James).

Section 5 of 5:

What does “It’s been a hot minute” mean?

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1. 
   “It’s been a hot minute” is another way to say, “It’s been a really long time.” Originally, the expression “a hot minute” meant an extremely short period of time, but beginning in the late 2000s, people began using it to refer to an extremely long period of time. “It’s been a hot minute” means you haven’t seen someone or done something familiar in several months or years.

   • “It’s been a hot minute since I went on a date. And by a hot minute, I mean 5 years😳”
   • “It’s been a hot minute since I ate McDonald’s. I think I might have been 11 years old actually…”
   • “It’s been a hot minute since I presented something, so I’m just warning you that I might sound nervous.”
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