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Glite Dictionary
to clock on

to clock on

4.8
Record the time you arrive at work with a card or badge
  • phrasal verb
  • /klɑk ɑn/
  • UK
translation icon : fichar al entrar
  • - He just clocked on and sat there, he hasn't moved since.

Examples

  • Or let Sternwood think we haven't clocked on.

    Welcome to the Punch (2013)

  • I clock on, do the hard yards, and then I clock off.

    The Slaughterhouse Killer (2020)

  • And then as the shows went on, people started to clock on that she was wanting them to go mute.

  • As an employee, I've witnessed members of staff clocking on and immediately going home, to the pub, shopping...

    Outside Bet (2012)

  • At 9 AM sharp, I always clock on at the office to start my work day.

  • After a short break, he went back inside to clock on for the afternoon shift.

  • The employees must clock on using the time card system as soon as they arrive.

Synonyms

to clock in
vsto clock on
10 3.2

Use a machine to show the time you arrive at work

is the same action but the expression differs in wording
to punch in
vsto clock on
5 3.5

Record the time you arrive at work using a time clock or electronic system

is the same action but the expression differs in wording

Antonyms

to clock off
  • UK
1 5.0

To record the time you finish work using a machine

Surface Forms

clock on infinitive
clocked on past
clocked on past participle
clocking on present participle
clocks on third person singular

Morphology

clock + on

The meaning 'to record the time one arrives at work' follows directly from combining 'clock' (to record time) with the particle 'on' indicating engagement/commencement; this is a regular verb+particle composition akin to 'clock in'. Because the components map closely onto the phrase meaning and similar constructions exist cross-linguistically, a B1 learner who knows the parts can infer the MWE.

Etymology

Clock on comes from the old habit of using a time clock at work. Workers would put a card or press a button on the machine to show when they started their shift, so today clock on means 'to record the time one arrives at work'.