internal clock
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of internal clock
First recorded in 1955–60
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.
Almost all cells in the body contain their own internal clock, which can be influenced by light, physical activity, and food timing.
From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2026
When it is bright, our internal clock feels we should be awake.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2025
Additionally, disruptions to the body's internal clock can affect astronaut's sleeping and eating cycles.
From Salon • Mar. 15, 2025
“There are gonna be some people that wake up at 3 in the morning, probably wide awake. Everybody’s internal clock is different. But we’re doing everything we can.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2024
X-Ray always said that he’d sleep until noon every day once he was released, but his internal clock was permanently out of whack.
From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar
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.
