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

In a race against time, an ailing woman is stricken by the discovery of her teenage son’s violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him, and possibly others. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 May 2025

But the hunt for the killer soon uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have imagined, kicking off a race against time to save a city of millions. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025

To many, mapping Titanic and saving its finds is a race against time. —Sean Kingsley, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025

The film will see New York City in a race against time to stop a killer rat infestation unlike anything the world has ever seen. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 1 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for a race against time

• aforetime
• allozyme
• anytime
• christmastime
• cybercrime
• dinnertime
• guggenheim
• isozyme
• lysozyme
• maritime
• mesenchyme
• overtime