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Synonyms

in the nick of time

Idioms  

  1. Also, just in time. At the last moment, as in The police arrived in the nick of time, or He got there just in time for dinner. The first term began life as in the nick and dates from the 1500s, when nick meant “the critical moment” (a meaning now obsolete). The second employs just in the sense of “precisely” or “closely,” a usage applied to time since the 1500s. Also see in time, def. 1.

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.

The country stored up 1.26 billion barrels of oil in the nick of time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

It built up those reserves just in the nick of time.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

She granted it one hour before he was set to appear at ICE offices, just in the nick of time.

From Slate • Dec. 12, 2025

Help may come in the nick of time, with the first rain in months expected this weekend in Los Angeles County.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2025

My cup arrived in the nick of time.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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.