biological clock

[ bahy-uh-loj-i-kuhl klok ]

/ ˈbaɪ əˌlɒdʒ ɪ kəl ˈklɒk /

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See synonyms for biological clock on Thesaurus.com

noun Physiology.

Also called bod·y clock [bod-ee klok] /ˈbɒd i ˌklɒk/ . an innate mechanism of the body that regulates its periodic cycles or biorhythms, such as the sleep-wake cycle. See also chronotype, circadian.

an innate mechanism regulating the passage of an organism through the natural stages of its life, especially with reference to the reproductive stage of a woman's or man's life or the approaching end of this stage: My biological clock is ticking, but I don't feel ready to have kids!

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Origin of biological clock

First recorded in 1950–55

Words nearby biological clock

biolinguistics, biologic, biological, biological accumulation, biological child, biological clock, biological control, biological engineering, biological magnification, biological marker, biological oxygen demand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use biological clock in a sentence

It’s also not going to make it easier to go to sleep way before your natural biological clock, or circadian rhythm, says it’s time.
'Separate Beds Are a Bad Sign' and 5 Other Sleep Myths That Are Hurting Your Relationship|Wendy Troxel|June 2, 2021|Time
In the days after daylight saving time starts, our biological clocks are a little bit off.
Daylight saving time begins Sunday: 8 things to know about “springing forward”|Brian Resnick|March 12, 2021|Vox
The gradual shortening of days until the winter solstice messes up our circadian rhythm, the biological clock that takes note of daylight hours and regulates sleep, appetite, body temperature, heart rate and hormone production.
Can a happy lamp help cure your winter blues?|Erin Fennessy|January 25, 2021|Popular-Science
Bryn Woznicki, a 33-year-old filmmaker who lives in Los Angeles, has always known she wants to be a mother, “but every year,” she says, “it’s a ticking time bomb working against your biological clock.”
Data Show More Women Are Freezing Their Eggs During the Pandemic, Defying Doctors’ Expectations|Eliana Dockterman|January 13, 2021|Time

In shift workers, researchers want to test the impact of resetting their biological clocks to a standard day-night schedule.
‘A Rinsing of the Brain.’ New Research Shows How Sleep Could Ward Off Alzheimer's Disease|Alice Park|August 6, 2020|Time
I've never had any regrets and must have not come equipped with the mythical biological clock.
Why I Choose to Be Child-Free: Readers Share Their Stories|Harry Siegel|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Before the fertility revolution, it was the alarm on the biological clock that rang at about age 35.
New Feminists: Young, Multicultural, Strategic, and Looking Out for Each Other|Gail Sheehy|February 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She now made plans to marry and have a child just as her biological clock was ticking toward never.
Why Epilepsy, Not Henry Wachtel, Is to Blame for Teen’s Mother’s Death|Michael Daly|April 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"Stress is basically a biological clock," Singer told The Daily Beast.
The New Science of Reverse Aging|Danielle Friedman|November 7, 2010|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for biological clock

biological clock

noun

an inherent periodicity in the physiological processes of living organisms that is not dependent on the periodicity of external factors

the hypothetical mechanism responsible for this periodicity

Scientific definitions for biological clock

biological clock

[ bī′ə-lŏj′ĭ-kəl ]

An internal system that controls an organism's circadian rhythms, the cycles of behavior that occur regularly in a day. In mammals, the biological clock is located near the point in the brain where the two optic nerves cross. In many birds, the biological clock is located in the pineal gland. In protists and fungi, the individual cells themselves regulate circadian rhythms.

Cultural definitions for biological clock

biological clock

The innate rhythm of behavior and body activity in living things. A twenty-four-hour cycle of body activity, which operates in some organisms, is called the circadian rhythm.

notes for biological clock

Although the term biological clock refers to all innate timing mechanisms, it is often used when describing certain body functions that are subject to this rhythm, such as the loss of fertility with age.

biological clock

Origin of biological clock

Words nearby biological clock

Words related to biological clock

How to use biological clock in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for biological clock

Scientific definitions for biological clock

Cultural definitions for biological clock

notes for biological clock