a race against time

idiomatic phrase

variants or a race against the clock

: a situation in which something must happen or be done quickly because little time is available

Divers pulling the 12 boys and their soccer coach from the cave were in a race against time, with the threat of rains making an already difficult rescue even more urgent.

—Richard C. Paddock and Muktita Suhartono

… as everyone argued back and forth about whether to enter arbitration …, the issue of time came up. For some in the group, this was a race against the clock due to their illnesses and the need for medical treatment.

—Steven Allen Bruce

Examples of a race against time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But with the killer inching ever closer to home, Jeanette and the team are in a race against time to untangle the web of secrets. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Nov. 2024

Buy Now The Office Characters Celebrate Christmas in New Book, Penned by Brian Baumgartner and Show’s Producer (Exclusive) 08 of 12 'Die Hard' and 'The Christmas Jigsaw Murders' by Alexandra Benedict Some Christmas movies are about taking down bad guys and solving mysteries in a race against time. —Sabienna Bowman, People.com, 27 Nov. 2024

For Orwell, writing the book was a race against time as his health continued to deteriorate. —Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2024

But as Max Hastings’ trial approaches, key witness Jamie Reynolds suddenly disappears and Pip finds herself in a race against time to find him and struggling with the idea of justice. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above