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• 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

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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

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just in time Idioms  

1. see in the nick of time.

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Etymology

Origin of just-in-time

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

just-in-time just in time

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

From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026

His just-in-time epiphany leads him to do the very thing he has spent his whole career eschewing: substitute a simple calculus of immediate military advantage for legalistic code.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025

Carmakers have a long tradition of using so-called "just-in-time delivery", where parts are not held in stock but delivered from suppliers exactly where and when they are needed.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2025

“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

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

But after late substitutions, the men are able to return to the fray just in time, and Odysseus prevails.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Matthew Rhys and Stephen Root lead Apple TV’s series set on a New England isWeland that’s waking up just in time to greet tourists with strange supernatural events.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Harry Kane's World Cup feats have been celebrated in a new artwork near Peterborough just in time for England reaching the quarter-finals.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

On numerous occasions this year, those timers became optimistic enough to nearly trigger a contrarian sell signal — only to pull back just in time.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

“Well, hello, there. I see Mrs. Caruthers’s new caretaker is here, and just in time, too.”

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland