the clock

noun

1

: a clock that is used in sports and that shows how much time remains for a particular part of a game

They were winning by 2 points with 10 seconds (left) on the clock.

They stopped the (game) clock with eight seconds remaining.

2

: a special clock that is used to record the times when an employee starts and stops working : time clock

I punched the clock at 8:45 and started working right away.

3

chiefly British : a device that shows how far a vehicle has traveled

a car with 100,000 miles on the clock

Examples of the clock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That includes doing a run down through what is called terminal count, which happens at T-10 minutes, holding the count at T-33 seconds and resetting the clock back to T-10 minutes and running through it again to just under T-30 seconds. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026

And oh yeah, the clock is ticking on an 84-year-old missing mother and grandmother. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026

Firefighters work on 24-hour shifts and can face extreme stress while on the clock, which can accelerate burnout within the department, Veit said. —Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026

With the clock ticking on hemp, Wisconsin Democrats have renewed efforts to legalize cannabis – one of many attempts over the past ten years. —Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for the clock

• alcock
• beanstalk
• bedrock
• boardwalk
• catwalk
• cornstalk
• crosswalk
• deadlock
• feedstock
• fetlock
• flintlock
• goshawk