round-the-clock

American  

[round-thuh-klok] / ˈraʊnd ðəˈklɒk /

adjective

1. a variant of around-the-clock.

---

round-the-clock British  

adjective

1. (or as adverb round the clock) throughout the day and night

---

Explanation

Use the adjective round-the-clock to mean always, at any time of day. A security company that uses round-the-clock surveillance is keeping an eye on things 24 hours a day. Round-the-clock flights to New York leave all day and all night long, and a diner that offers round-the-clock breakfast will serve you pancakes whether it's six in the morning or midnight. If a patient needs round-the-clock care in the hospital, they'll have nurses checking on them nonstop, day and night. Round-the-clock dates from the 1940s and was first used to describe air raids during World War II.

Example Sentences

The “CNN effect” refers to the impact that round-the-clock news coverage has on policymakers to react to what’s happening.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

He still needs round-the-clock care and lives in a home in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, for people with acquired brain injuries.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Bithumb is fully cooperating with the investigation and has round-the-clock monitoring to prevent similar incidents, a company spokesman said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Regulators warn that the spread of round-the-clock data centers mean that winter demand peaks will soon rival summer peaks.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

The mansion’s sure to be heavily guarded, under round-the-clock camera surveillance, and laced with pods that could become live at the flick of a switch.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• around-the-clock
• constant
• continuous
• endless
• incessant
• interminable
• nonstop
• ongoing
• perpetual
• relentless
• unbroken
• unending
• uninterrupted