rat race

American  

noun

Informal.

1. any exhausting, unremitting, and usually competitive activity or routine, especially a pressured urban working life spent trying to get ahead with little time left for leisure, contemplation, etc.

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rat race British  

noun

1. a continual routine of hectic competitive activity

   working in the City is a real rat race

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rat race Idioms  

1. Fierce competition to maintain or improve one's position in the workplace or social life. For example, You may not realize what a rat race it is to get research grants. This term presumably alludes to the rat's desperate struggle for survival. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of rat race

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rat race

My mom and stepdad wanted a deeper connection with the earth and to get away from the rat race.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026

But Dharmendra wore his stardom lightly, staying away from the rat race and said he never wanted to be number one in the industry.

From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025

Tangping, or “lying flat,” became a ubiquitous term for opting out of the rat race, not unlike the term “quiet quitting” in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024

Wall Street Journal fitness writer Jen Murphy shares tips for staying in shape while running the rat race.

From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2024

Valerie was clearly weary of the rat race.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis