beat the clock

Idioms

Finish something or succeed before time is up, as in The paper went to press at five o'clock, and they hurried to beat the clock. The term comes from various sports or races in which contestants compete within a certain time limit.

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.

See Examples For:

beat the clock

Many spent the flight thinking of new ways to beat the clock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2025

Instead of constantly trying to play beat the clock getting from point A to point B, Cindy Clegg’s suggestion is to plan on a 90-minute drive no matter what.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2024

Chicago State then got the ball to Betson who beat the clock with the winning jumper.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2022

Disease detectives are trying desperately to beat the clock and find those who have been exposed to the virus.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2020

I used to break out in a sweat trying to beat the clock.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

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