a race against time

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

On the ground, firefighters worked tirelessly to make progress, in a race against time, before a forecast surge in temperatures this week could complicate efforts to put out the fires. — Miguel MacIas, NPR, 27 July 2026

Garner, who won Everton’s player of the season award, is likely to miss the rest of pre-season and faces a race against time to be ready for that Palace game. — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 26 July 2026

Officials in Riyadh therefore face a race against time if its national team is to do well in 2034. — Simon Chadwick, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Guthrie disappeared sometime between late January 31 and the early hours of February 1, and the first few days were a race against time, with police pursuing every lead and the Guthrie family posting multiple videos pleading with the kidnappers. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 Apr. 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