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

Dumars insists on following the Miami-Dade Police Department rulebook by counting all the money at the scene, and the thriller quickly becomes a race against time as parties with vested interests in the stash house begin to circle like vultures. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026

Barrel racing, the event that has defined so much of Yates’ life, is a race against time. —Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026

Leaphorn is brought there in a race against time to find a missing Navajo girl. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2026

The French striker missed Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Fulham due to a minor hamstring problem and faces a race against time to be fit for the trip to the Emirates. —James Pearce, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026

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