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
Guests access the villas via a private elevator, where a dedicated concierge team is on hand around the clock to manage arrivals, departures, and requests.
—
David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
Because in a rivalry this deep, the only guarantee is that nothing will make sense until the clock hits zero.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
With the clock winding down, Venice dropped back to pass.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026
Emergency crews work around the clock, but can only restore power for hours daily as high demand immediately collapses the fragile grid system.
—Vasilisa Stepanenko, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the clock
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Cite this Entry
“The clock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20clock. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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