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
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
Steven Allen BruceExamples of a race against time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
The latency in detection makes treatment for this cancer a race against time.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
Ukraine is now in a race against time to develop countermeasures and more effectively target elite formations like Rubicon.
—David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a race against time
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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
The latency in detection makes treatment for this cancer a race against time.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
Ukraine is now in a race against time to develop countermeasures and more effectively target elite formations like Rubicon.
—David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a race against time
Cite this Entry
“A race against time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20race%20against%20time. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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