in the nick of time

phrase

informal

: just before the last moment when something can be changed or something bad will happen

He decided to go just in the nick of time.

The ambulance arrived in the nick of time.

Examples of in the nick of time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Just in the nick of time--only days before classes started--New York City public school students found out there would be changes to their daily interaction with social media. — Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026

Unfortunately, Sidney returns in the nick of time to find out the tables had been turned on her. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026

Once Vega is satisfied and the LASD crew departs, Sugar emerges from his hiding place and revives Ji in the nick of time. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 July 2026

In return, the kid just crushed Duke’s dreams in the nick of time. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026

Rhymes for in the nick of time

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