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

Slocumb is equally adept at suspense, whether he’s conveying the ticktock of the main mystery or the heart-pounding, fist-clenching realities Ray has to face as a young Black man in America.

From Washington Post • Feb. 2, 2022

“The ticktock of the raid’s secret planning and execution is exhilarating, but Obama reflects on the cathartic euphoria of the aftermath,” Stokols says in his review.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2021

I can practically hear the ticktock of her brain.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman