the clock
noun
1
: a clock that is used in sports and that shows how much time remains for a particular part of a game
They were winning by 2 points with 10 seconds (left) on the clock.
They stopped the (game) clock with eight seconds remaining.
2
: a special clock that is used to record the times when an employee starts and stops working : time clock
I punched the clock at 8:45 and started working right away.
3
chiefly British
: a device that shows how far a vehicle has traveled
a car with 100,000 miles on the clock
Examples of the clock in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With drones, sniffer dogs and heavy machinery, rescue operators have been working around the clock to free dozens of people thought to be trapped inside.
—
Jan Camenzind Broomby, NPR, 29 Mar. 2025
The Irish had roughly a week off before diving into NCAA prep, enough of a break for Ivey to turn back the clock on practices to the preseason when Notre Dame didn’t have to worry about two games per week.
—Pete Sampson, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The Steelers could immediately use this pick to draft his replacement, resetting the clock on their WR2 contract situation.
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
The Trump administration started the clock running Tuesday on when the paroles of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans that legally came to the United States through Biden-era humanitarian programs will expire.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the clock
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Jan Camenzind Broomby, NPR, 29 Mar. 2025
The Irish had roughly a week off before diving into NCAA prep, enough of a break for Ivey to turn back the clock on practices to the preseason when Notre Dame didn’t have to worry about two games per week.
—Pete Sampson, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The Steelers could immediately use this pick to draft his replacement, resetting the clock on their WR2 contract situation.
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
The Trump administration started the clock running Tuesday on when the paroles of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans that legally came to the United States through Biden-era humanitarian programs will expire.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the clock
Cite this Entry
“The clock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20clock. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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