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clockwise

American  
[klok-wahyz] / ˈklɒkˌwaɪz /

adverb

  1. in the direction of the rotation of the hands of a clock as viewed from the front or above; circularly to the right from a point taken as the top.

adjective

  1. directed clockwise.

    a clockwise movement.
clockwise British  
/ ˈklɒkˌwaɪz /

adverb

  1. in the direction that the hands of a clock rotate; from top to bottom towards the right when seen from the front

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of clockwise

First recorded in 1885–90; clock 1 + -wise

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Each date would last two minutes — a chime would alert the men when it was time to move clockwise to the next seat.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

"If you could look at the galaxy from above, the overall magnetic field is going clockwise," says Brown.

From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026

Players release the stone down the pebbled ice sheet in such a way that it curls either clockwise or anti-clockwise so they have more control over it.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

The typical group rotation pattern occurs in a clockwise fashion.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 24, 2025

Smiling at this, he clamped the steering wheel slightly right of center, which produced a smooth clockwise motion against the curve of the road.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.