round-the-clock
Americanadjective
adjective
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One key difference: Perpetual futures offer round-the-clock trading seven days a week and settlement at regular intervals.
From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026
Technology companies like Google and Meta, which require round-the-clock electricity for their data centers, are among companies building storage capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
She met with Sheinbaum, who deployed to Uruapan the thousands of soldiers Manzo had asked for, and who assigned Quiroz round-the-clock protection.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
He moved into a rented home in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires where he was supposed to receive round-the-clock home care.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 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
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.
