ticktock

American  

[tik-tok] / ˈtɪkˌtɒk /

Sometimes tictoc

noun

1. an alternating ticking sound, as that made by a clock.

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verb (used without object)

1. to emit or produce a ticking sound, like that of a clock.

ticktock British  

/ ˈtɪkˌtɒk /

noun

1. a ticking sound as made by a clock

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verb

1. (intr) to make a ticking sound

Etymology

Origin of ticktock

First recorded in 1840–50; imitative

Example Sentences

Together they produced an hourslong ticktock cacophony that has become the unwanted soundtrack of the lives of McKee and her neighbors.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023

Healthy pastures of eelgrass offer a mesmerizing beauty, swishing gently in the ticktock of the tide.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2022

Listen to him swap brags with Lil Gray on “Positive Goon,” his words as slippery as whispers, refusing to fully obey the rhythm’s consensus ticktock.

From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2022

The ticktock of the raid’s secret planning and execution is exhilarating, but Obamareflects on the cathartic euphoria of the aftermath.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2020

Charles thought about it while ticktock music played.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein