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

Based on the award-winning Los Angeles Times article by Frank Shyong, Rosemead watches as an ailing woman discovers her teenage son’s violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him — and possibly others — in a race against time. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025

Sanders and several other speakers talked about the challenges obtaining sand to bring to the beach to replenish the supply — a race against time as beaches continue to erode. —Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025

Rear Admiral Kwan Hon Chuong, Singaporean navy's fleet commander, described a submarine in need of rescue situation as a race against time. —Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025

Given that Samuel Girard is in a race against time to get healthy with a lower-body injury, Middleton might even get to play on opening night for the first time in his career. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 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