clock

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈkläk 

plural clocks

often attributive

1

: a device other than a watch for indicating or measuring time commonly by means of hands moving on a dial

broadly : any periodic system by which time is measured

2

: a registering device usually with a dial

specifically : odometer

3

: time clock

4

: a synchronizing device (as in a computer) that produces pulses at regular intervals

5

: biological clock

see also a race against the clock

clock

2 of 3

verb

clocked; clocking; clocks

transitive verb

1

a

: to time with a stopwatch or by an electric timing device

b

: to be timed at

2

: to register on a mechanical recording device

wind velocities were clocked at 80 miles per hour

3

: to hit hard

4

chiefly British : attain, realize

—usually used with up

just clocked up a million … paperback sales

—Punch

5

a

: to travel (a distance) over time

clocks more than 15,000 miles a year on business

b

: put in sense 3

clocking long hours at the office

intransitive verb

1

: to have a specified duration or speed

—used with in

the movie clocked in at just under 3 hours

broadly : to have a specified measure or value

—used with in

the meal clocked in at about $15

2

: to register on a time sheet or time clock : punch

—used with in, out, on, off

he clocked in late

clocker noun

clock

3 of 3

noun (2)

: an ornamental figure on the ankle or side of a stocking or sock

Phrases

against the clock

1

: with or within a time constraint

working against the clock

2

: with clocked speed rather than the order of finish as the criterion for placement

trial races against the clock

around the clock or less commonly round the clock

1

: continuously for 24 hours : day and night without cessation

2

: without relaxation and heedless of time

kill the clock or run out the clock

: to use up as much as possible of the playing time remaining in a game (such as football) while retaining possession of the ball or puck especially to protect a lead

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• chronometer
• timekeeper
• timepiece
• timer

Verb

• bang
• bash
• bat
• belt
• biff
• bludgeon
• bob
• bonk
• bop
• box
• bust
• clap
• clip
• clobber
• clout
• crack
• hammer
• hit
• knock
• nail
• paste
• pound
• punch
• rap
• slam
• slap
• slog
• slug
• smack
• smite
• sock
• strike
• swat
• swipe
• tag
• thump
• thwack
• wallop
• whack
• whale
• zap

Examples of clock in a Sentence

Verb

He clocked 3 hours and 15 minutes in his last marathon.

His fastest pitch was clocked at 91 miles per hour.

The cop said she clocked me going 95 miles per hour.

I was so angry I wanted to clock him.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Heat went 5:07 of game clock without scoring during the Knicks’ fourth-quarter spurt. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024

Dates may vary, but the lowest price clocks in at around 60–70,000 Aeroplan points in each direction or 80,000 MileagePlus miles each way plus tax. —Ramsey Qubein, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Apr. 2024

Life in Color clocks in at only three episodes, making this miniseries more of a visual snack than an entire buffet. —Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 2 Apr. 2024

Google doesn’t publish much detail on such security issues until time has been given for users to update their browsers; once made public, a clock starts ticking and the risk of exploitation increases. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

The muscle clocks are another possible explanation. —Will Stone, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024

The students began searching and found additional cameras, including one disguised as a clock. —The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024

Even the most sophisticated clocks are susceptible to tiny errors, a phenomenon know as timing jitter. —IEEE Spectrum, 19 Mar. 2024

Especially when some states and territories including Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands don’t change their clocks. —Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024

Verb

As the Cat 5 storm approached in September, a single day’s page views clocked in at about 57 million. —Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024

The pace of consumer price increases clocked in at 3.2% in February, the latest government inflation data showed. —J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024

The crucial April reading clocked in at 110% of normal, state water officials said Tuesday — a harbinger of a reliable water supply during the upcoming dry summer months. —Scooty Nickerson, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024

The rig has an MSI X570 motherboard and an AMD Ryzen CPU, 16GB of Corsair Dominator DDR4 memory clocked to 3,600MHz, and a discrete Nvidia GeForce graphics card. —PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2024

With 185 table games, 1,324 slots, a sportsbook, and a 4,500-square-foot poker room, the casino at Caesars Palace clocks in at 124,000 square feet. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024

But eagle-eyed members of Bachelor Nation surely clocked one significant detail in the photo: The driveway is wet. —Breanne L. Heldman, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024

But the data center, which would clock in at nearly 1 million square feet, is not the only development Meta plans for Kuna. —Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 22 Mar. 2024

Inflation has come down considerably, clocking in at 2.4 percent in January over the year before. —Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English clok, from Middle Dutch clocke bell, clock, from Old French or Medieval Latin; Old French dialect (Picard) cloque bell, from Medieval Latin clocca, of Celtic origin; akin to Middle Irish clocc bell

Noun (2)

perhaps from clock entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1883, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

1530, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing clock

• a race against the clock
• banjo clock
• alarm clock
• beat the clock
• body clock
• biological clock
• around the clock
• atomic clock
• cuckoo clock
• clock off/out
• clean one's clock
• grandfather clock
• clock-watcher
• clock radio
• longcase clock
• run out the clock
• internal clock
• round the clock
• kill the clock
• clock up
• eat up/run out/kill the clock
• turn back the clock
• water clock
• the clock
• shot clock
• time clock
• watch the clock
• against the clock

Kids Definition

clock

1 of 2 noun

ˈkläk 

1

: a device for measuring or telling the time and especially one not meant to be worn or carried about by a person

2

: a registering device with a dial that is attached to a machine to measure or record what it is doing

3

: a device (as in a computer) that sends out signals at regular spaces of time so that other events can happen in the correct order

clock

2 of 2 verb

1

: to time (as a person or a piece of work) by a timing device

2

: to show (as time or speed) on a recording device

he clocked in late

Etymology

Noun

Middle English clok "clock," from early Dutch clocke "bell, clock," from early French cloque "bell" or Latin clocca "bell"; of Celtic origin — related to cloak

Medical Definition

clock

noun

ˈkläk 

: biological clock