tick over
Britishverb
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Also: idle. (of an engine) to run at low speed with the throttle control closed and the transmission disengaged
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to run smoothly without any major changes
keep the firm ticking over until I get back
noun
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.
Carbon removal is like that for the climate—it’s essential, it’s invisible, it’s not especially glamorous, but these infrastructure projects are what make society tick over the long haul.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
The men also averaged a tick over five goals a game in the preliminary round plus looked a little rusty doing it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
While she and Dean were happy to tick over with ones and twos, Jones was also able to put the pressure back on the Kiwi bowlers with a number of bold shots over the top.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2024
Victoria, home to Melbourne, is expected to relax some curbs from Wednesday when the state’s first-dose vaccination rate is forecast to tick over 80%.
From Reuters ● Sep. 27, 2021
Ivy watched the lime-green alarm clock on June’s bedside table tick over to 9:33.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
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.
