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
Resort teams often work around the clock during storms, sometimes sleeping on-site while trying to care for their own families and lives at the same time.
—
Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2025
Carter was on the board when the Giants went on the clock with the third-overall pick.
—Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
Here’s what Texas employees need to know about rest periods, meal breaks and your rights on the clock.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2025
Tiffany Hayes, facing her former team, made a leaning 3-pointer to cut the deficit to just two again with seven seconds on the clock.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for the clock
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2025
Carter was on the board when the Giants went on the clock with the third-overall pick.
—Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
Here’s what Texas employees need to know about rest periods, meal breaks and your rights on the clock.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2025
Tiffany Hayes, facing her former team, made a leaning 3-pointer to cut the deficit to just two again with seven seconds on the clock.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for the clock
Cite this Entry
“The clock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20clock. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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