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 This year, your special present is a race against time to stop a man from killing himself and his family! —

Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 11 July 2024 Fighting Alzheimer’s disease is a race against time. —

Rohan Rajeev, STAT, 28 June 2024 The need to communicate turns into a race against time as the ships and their mysterious pilots trigger a global crisis that threatens to tip over into catastrophe. —

Keith Phipps, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2024 In today’s rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, the United States finds itself in a race against time. —

Byhoracio Rozanski, Fortune, 10 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for a race against time

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a race against time.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of a race against time was in 1814

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“A race against time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20race%20against%20time. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

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