Abstract In standard cosmology, the expansion of the Universe is described through the evolution of spacetime geometry, while the physical origin of this expansion remains unclear. In this work, a conceptual hypothesis is proposed in which time is treated not only as a coordinate, but as an active physical quantity characterized by both a rate and an effective force. It is suggested that under conditions of extremely high energy density, such as in the early Universe or near massive bodies, the rate of time flow decreases while its effective force increases. Cosmological expansion is interpreted as a manifestation of this force of time acting on spacetime geometry, rather than as a result of an initial explosive event. The hypothesis is shown to be compatible with general relativity at the phenomenological level and leads to potentially testable consequences for the evolution of cosmic expansion