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.

We’re all familiar with workplace efficiency, where every task must beat the clock and “skill and creativity” are reduced to “repetitive, monotonous tasks, without the beautiful compensation of singing along.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

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

From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2022

“This premise that there was an intent to beat the clock is ridiculous,” Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. said at the time.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2021

People were jostling to beat the clock, to be the first to speak with someone.

From Washington Post • Nov. 28, 2021

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