Jump To:

• just-in-time
  just-in-time

  adjective

  noting or pertaining to a method of inventory control that keeps inventories low by scheduling needed goods and equipment to arrive a short time before a production run begins. JIT
• just in time
  just in time

  see in the nick of time.

just-in-time

American  

adjective

1. Business. noting or pertaining to a method of inventory control that keeps inventories low by scheduling needed goods and equipment to arrive a short time before a production run begins. JIT

---

just-in-time British  

adjective

1.  JIT.  denoting or relating to an industrial method in which waste of resources is eliminated or reduced by producing production-line components, etc, as they are required, rather than holding large stocks

---

just in time Idioms  

1. see in the nick of time.

---

Etymology

Origin of just-in-time

First recorded in 1610–20 as an adverb, and in 1975–80 as an adjective

Example Sentences

But if this goes on for months and months, they have just-in-time manufacturing so at any given moment almost all of their parts and supplies are on a ship or a boat or a truck.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

The DOD is moving to in-stock from just-in-time inventory, which makes sense.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

“Global trade uncertainties disrupted typical grain flows and caused many of our commercial customers to focus on just-in-time purchasing,” William Krueger, the Andersons’ chief executive, said Wednesday in a call with investors.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2025

“A just-in-time mindset that has persisted for almost three decades is giving way to a just-in-case approach, though delivering on these ambitions is challenging,” the report said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2024

We were still a couple blocks from the shop, but I wanted to put the brakes on the just-in-time lecture.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx