clock
clock — noun
1. An object that hangs on a wall or stands on a surface, with a dial or screen tha
An object that hangs on a wall or stands on a surface, with a dial or screen that shows you what hour and minute it currently is.
The old clock in the living room chimed every hour, waking the cat from its nap.
collocation: chimed every hour
Aiko checked the station clock and saw that her train left in three minutes.
Battery-powered clocks are common in modern kitchens because they do not need winding.
collocation: battery-powered clocks
The librarian hung a large clock above the desk so everyone could see the time.
When the power went out, the clock on the microwave kept blinking twelve o'clock.
- clock face
- clock hands
- digital clock
- alarm clock
- wall clock
- grandfather clock
Usage Note
In everyday conversation, 'clock' refers to a wall or desk timepiece, while 'watch' refers to one worn on the wrist. Computer and phone displays are generally not called clocks.
Common Mistakes
2. The seasonal practice of setting all public and household clocks one hour earlie
The seasonal practice of setting all public and household clocks one hour earlier, which happens in autumn when daylight saving time ends.
Theo always looks forward to the clocks going back because he gets an extra hour of sleep.
phrase: clocks go back
The Watanabe family forgot that the clocks go back this weekend, so they arrived at church an hour early.
When the clocks go back in October, the evening sky turns dark a full hour sooner.
Farmers often dislike the clocks going back because the cattle need feeding in the dark.
- fall back
informal American English phrase for the same practice
- clocks forward
the opposite spring practice
Grammar Patterns
the clocks go back
Usage Note
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'the clocks go back'. 'The clock goes back' (singular) is incorrect because the practice affects all clocks in a region.
Common Mistakes
3. The seasonal practice of setting all public and household clocks one hour later,
The seasonal practice of setting all public and household clocks one hour later, which happens in spring when daylight saving time begins.
Kofi set two alarms before bed because the clocks go forward tonight and he might oversleep.
phrase: clocks go forward
After the clocks go forward in March, the sun stays in the sky until nearly eight in the evening.
Flight schedules change twice a year when the clocks go forward or back across different countries.
Nadia reminded her mother that the clocks go forward tonight, so they should eat dinner an hour earlier.
- spring forward
informal American English phrase for the same practice
- clocks back
the opposite autumn practice
Grammar Patterns
the clocks go forward
Usage Note
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'the clocks go forward'. The opposite of 'the clocks go back' (sense noun/2).
Common Mistakes
4. A round gauge on a vehicle's dashboard that tells the driver how fast the vehicl
A round gauge on a vehicle's dashboard that tells the driver how fast the vehicle is moving at any moment.
Leila glanced at the clock and realised she was driving well above the speed limit.
informal: clock = speedometer
The clock on the dashboard of a rental car sometimes shows the speed in both miles and kilometres.
A broken clock can get you a fine because you have no way of knowing your actual speed.
The driving instructor told Priya to keep her eyes on the road, not on the clock.
- dashboard clock
- clock needle
- speedometer
the precise, formal term; never ambiguous
Usage Note
In informal British English, 'clock' alone can mean 'speedometer' when the context is clearly about driving. In American English, 'speedometer' is preferred.
Common Mistakes
5. A number display on a vehicle's dashboard that records the total distance covere
A number display on a vehicle's dashboard that records the total distance covered by the vehicle since it was first driven off the production line.
When buying a used car, check the clock to see how many miles the car has really driven.
informal: clock = odometer
The clock on Hiro's truck passed two hundred thousand kilometres during his cross-country trip.
Some dishonest sellers roll back the clock to make a car look newer than it actually is.
phrase: roll back the clock
A digital clock records distance more accurately than the old mechanical models did.
- clock reading
- roll back the clock
Usage Note
In British English, 'clock' can informally refer to the odometer. 'Milometer' is the formal term in the UK; 'odometer' is standard in the US.
Common Mistakes
against the clock
idiomDoing something very quickly to finish before a deadline.
The team worked against the clock to submit the report.
Is it a race against the clock to finish on time?
Continuing all day and night without stopping.
Nurses worked around the clock to care for patients.
The factory operates round the clock during holidays.
beat the clock
idiomTo finish a task or race before a set time ends.
Maya beat the clock and finished the exam early.
Can you beat the clock in this puzzle game?
To defeat someone thoroughly in a competition or fight.
Sara cleaned her opponent's clock in the tennis match.
In the debate, Diego cleaned Brian's clock.
Used to say that time is running out before something happens.
The clock is ticking down to the project deadline.
With only minutes left, the clock is ticking.
The official time change, usually by one hour, at the start or end of summer.
The clocks go forward in spring, so we lose an hour.
Remember, the clocks go back tonight.
To return to an earlier situation or time, often in memory or policy.
I wish I could turn the clock back to my childhood.
New laws would put the clock back on civil rights.
To adjust clocks by one hour for daylight saving time changes.
Don't forget to put the clocks forward tonight.
We put the clocks back in autumn.
A situation where you must finish something very quickly before it is too late.
Getting the vaccine to remote areas is a race against time.
It was a race against the clock to save the building.
In sports, to use up remaining time by keeping possession of the ball instead of trying to score.
The team ran down the clock to secure their win.
They tried to run out the clock in the final minutes.
stop the clock
idiomTo pause the timer in a timed game or activity.
The referee stopped the clock after the foul.
Can we stop the clock for a quick break?
watch the clock
idiomTo pay more attention to the time than to your work, often to avoid working extra.
Employees who watch the clock rarely get promoted.
Stop watching the clock and focus on your task.
clock — verb
1. To use a stopwatch or timer to measure exactly how long an activity, race, or pr
To use a stopwatch or timer to measure exactly how long an activity, race, or process takes from start to finish.
The PE teacher clocked each student's running time with a stopwatch during sports day.
pattern: clock + noun + time phrase
Ravi clocked his commute at forty-five minutes when he took the train instead of the bus.
pattern: clock + noun + at + time
The lab assistant clocked the chemical reaction at just under two hundred milliseconds.
Yara asked her brother to clock her laps in the pool so she could track her improvement.
Amara clocked the fastest marathon time in the club's history at just over three hours.
- clock a time
- clock someone at
- clock the fastest
Grammar Patterns
clock + noun + at + time phrase
Usage Note
Often followed by 'at' and a time measurement: 'clocked [someone/something] at [time]'. Can also be used without 'at' in shorter constructions: 'clocked a fast time'.
Common Mistakes
2. When a vehicle's dashboard instruments indicate that the vehicle has attained or
When a vehicle's dashboard instruments indicate that the vehicle has attained or is maintaining a certain speed, or has covered a particular distance as recorded on the dials.
The police radar gun clocked the motorcycle at over one hundred and fifty kilometres per hour.
pattern: clock + noun + at + speed
Beatriz watched the dashboard needle clock a steady one hundred and ten kilometres per hour.
The old van struggled to clock more than eighty kilometres per hour on the steep mountain road.
The speed camera clocked every car that passed through the school zone during morning drop-off.
- clock a speed
- clock at
- clocked by radar
Grammar Patterns
clock + speed/distance
Usage Note
Subject is usually a vehicle, radar gun, or speed camera. Not used for human running speeds — use verb sense 1 (MEASURE TIME) instead.
Common Mistakes
3. To forcefully strike another person, targeting areas such as the jaw or cheek, t
To forcefully strike another person, targeting areas such as the jaw or cheek, typically during a fight or heated argument.
The security footage showed a man clocking another right in the jaw during the argument.
pattern: clock + noun + in/on + body part
In the final round the champion clocked his opponent with a powerful left hook.
The bartender warned the drunk customer that he would clock him if he did not leave quietly.
informal register: 'clock' = hit hard
Two teenagers clocked each other outside the school gates and were suspended the next morning.
- clock someone on the jaw
- clock someone in the face
Grammar Patterns
clock + noun + on/in + body part
clock + noun + with + object
Usage Note
Informal British slang. Stronger than 'hit' — implies a deliberate, forceful blow. Usually targets the head or face. Never used for accidental contact.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- clockwiseadjective / adverbB1
- counterclockwiseadjective / adverbB1
- clockworknounB2
- time clocknounB2
- clockingnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All these words name devices that measure or show time, but they differ in how and where they are used. A 'clock' is typically placed on a wall, shelf, or piece of furniture; it is not designed to be carried on a person. A 'watch' is worn on the wrist and accompanies the wearer all day. A 'timer' is set to count down from a specific amount of time and then sound an alarm — it does not normally display the current time of day. A 'stopwatch' is used to measure elapsed time with start/stop precision, often in sports or lab settings. For example: 'The station clock showed 7:45.' 'He checked his watch during the meeting.' 'She set the timer for twenty minutes on the oven. ' The coach started the stopwatch when the runner left the starting line.
Common collocations
Nouns
- clock tower
- clock face
- clock hand
- clock radio
- alarm clock
- clock speed
Adverbs
- around the clock
- against the clock
Phrases
- around the clock
- against the clock
- race against the clock
- beat the clock
- turn back the clock
Prepositions
- by the clock
- on the clock
- off the clock
Etymology
Clock entered English from Middle Dutch 'clocke' and Old French 'cloque', both meaning 'bell'. These came from medieval Latin 'clocca', also meaning 'bell'. Early mechanical clocks in church towers announced the hour by ringing a bell, so the name for the bell became the name for the whole timekeeping device. The use of 'clock' to mean 'speedometer' or 'odometer' (noun senses 4 and 5) is a much later extension from British English, where dashboard dials resembled clock faces. The verb meaning 'to hit' (verb sense 3) probably comes from the idea of a clock's pendulum striking — a forceful, swinging motion — and appeared in British slang in the early 20th century.