beat the clock
idiom
: to do or finish something quickly before a particular time
In a desperate attempt to beat the clock, I raced to mail my tax return before midnight.
Examples of beat the clock in a Sentence
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Here, acts of mass killing are kept at a strict visual remove, and our attention is focussed on a group of hardworking professionals, desperate to beat the clock and mitigate an impossible situation.
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Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2026
And that was only after a frantic scramble to get the snap off for Harrison Butker’s 59-yard kick to beat the clock going into the locker room.
—Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Stores knew tariffs were coming, so many tried to beat the clock by importing inventory before tariffs kicked in.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
Now, if teams don’t beat the clock with a shot in a postseason game, the ball is handed to the opposing team.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat the clock
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Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2026
And that was only after a frantic scramble to get the snap off for Harrison Butker’s 59-yard kick to beat the clock going into the locker room.
—Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Stores knew tariffs were coming, so many tried to beat the clock by importing inventory before tariffs kicked in.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
Now, if teams don’t beat the clock with a shot in a postseason game, the ball is handed to the opposing team.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for beat the clock
Cite this Entry
“Beat the clock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beat%20the%20clock. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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