🕰️ A time device ⏱️ To time

to clock

85 3.5

To measure how long something takes, for example in a race

verb
/klɑk/

: cronometrar

I had you clocked at 95.

Examples

I pretend to watch the men clocking out, checking to see they're doing it right.

Fiction book (1990)
Tasha comes over and places two fingers on my neck, clocking my pulse on her watch.

Fiction book (1999)
You want me to work for nine hours... and only clock in for eight?

Maximum Overdrive (1986)
What I think about when I'm working is, go in, clock on, do the job, clock off, go home.

Sound It Out (2011)
They send me a job, I clock in, clock out, you know?

Thunderbolts* (2025)
So, what time are you clocking off?

Empire of Light (2022)
What you clocking that mile at now?

One and the Same (2021)
In fact, my fastball has been clocked at 91 miles per hour.

Fiction book (2001)
There was something new: today's date, time clocked at 4:22 p.m.

Fiction book (1999)
During the race, she clocked her best time of the season at just under four minutes.

Synonyms

to time

vsto clock

126 2.7

To measure how long something takes or when it happens

measures duration specifically for activities or competitions rather than scheduling

Idioms

around the clock

59 3.0

Happens all day and all night without stopping

on the clock

33 3.1

To work during paid hours

to turn back the clock

Informal

11 5.2

To go back to an earlier time or wish you could

against the clock

Informal

7 3.7

Trying to finish something before time runs out

round the clock

7 3.0

Happens all day and night without stopping

to beat the clock

4 3.9

To finish something before the time runs out

to get one's clock cleaned

Informal

2 9.9

Lose badly in a fight, game, or contest

the clock is ticking

Informal

1 4.4

There is only a short time left to do something

to clean someone's clock

Informal

9.3

Beat someone badly in a game or fight

face that would stop a clock

Offensive

9.9

A face so ugly that it shocks people

to stop a clock

Informal

8.8

To be so attractive that people stare

Phrasal Verbs

to clock out

11 3.4

To record the time you leave work, often using a machine

to clock in

10 3.2

Use a machine to show the time you arrive at work

to clock off

1 5.0

To record the time you finish work using a machine

to clock up

1 6.6

To reach a total for things like miles, hours, or experience by doing something again and again

to run down the clock

1 6.7

Use extra time on purpose so the other side cannot act

to clock on

4.8

Record the time you arrive at work with a card or badge

to clock the tea

Informal

9.9

Watch the time while tea brews so it does not become too strong

to put the clock forward

3.9

To set a clock one hour ahead for daylight saving time

to put the clock back

7.6

To wish you could go back to an earlier time to change things or live it again

Compounds

alarm clock

42 1.0

A clock that wakes you at a set time by making a sound

round-the-clock

24 3.9

Happening all day and all night without stopping

biological clock

Specialized

11 3.7

A natural system inside the body that controls daily cycles like sleep and hormone changes

clock tower

11 2.8

A tall part of a building with a large clock on the outside

off-the-clock

Informal

10 7.2

Work done outside paid hours without extra pay

clock radio

9 2.6

A radio with a clock that you set to switch on or off at a chosen time

around-the-clock

8 3.2

Happening all day and night without stopping

atomic clock

Specialized

5 4.3

A very accurate clock that uses atoms to measure time

grandfather clock

5 3.8

A tall freestanding clock with a long swinging weight that tells time

digital clock

4 1.8

A clock that shows the time using numbers

time clock

4 3.2

A machine that records when workers start and finish work

wall clock

4 1.0

A clock that hangs on a wall to show the time

cuckoo clock

3 3.0

A clock with a small moving bird that comes out and calls every hour

clock face

1 2.1

A flat surface on a clock that shows the hours and minutes with numbers and hands

pendulum clock

1 4.9

A clock that uses a swinging weight to keep time

clock watcher

Informal

1 6.5

A person at work who watches the clock and wants to leave on time

caesium clock

1 7.2

A very accurate clock that measures time using the vibrations of caesium atoms

chess clock

1 4.1

A set of two clocks with a switch that tracks each player's time in a chess game

clock-watching

Informal

1 4.1

Looking at the time often because you want to stop work or go home

clock time

1 2.3

Time shown by a clock or watch, not how you feel it

analog clock

1 2.6

A clock with hands that show the time on a numbered face

water clock

Specialized

1 8.2

A device that measures time using the flow of water

bushman's clock

Australian

9.9

A natural sense of time that helps a person know when to wake, eat, or arrive

clock dial

3.1

The face of a clock that shows the time with numbers and hands

clock golf

9.9

A game where players hit golf balls into a hole from points arranged like the numbers on a clock

clock pendulum

Specialized

4.9

A weight on a rod that swings back and forth to keep a clock's time

electric clock

2.5

A clock that runs on electricity

ammonia clock

Specialized

9.1

A clock that uses the vibration of nitrogen in an ammonia molecule to keep very exact time

longcase clock

6.2

A tall, freestanding clock with a long wooden case and a swinging pendulum

round-the-clock patrol

4.6

A team that watches a place all day and night to keep it safe

system clock

Specialized

3.4

A clock inside a computer that keeps the current time and date

system clock

Specialized

4.3

An electronic part that sends fast regular signals to make computer parts work together

shepherd's clock

9.9

A small plant with yellow flowers that open in the morning and close by afternoon

spacecraft clock time

Specialized

8.1

Time shown by a clock on a spacecraft used to schedule activities

turret clock

8.1

A large clock with faces on different sides, usually in a tower

How Precise

to clock

85 3.5

to time

126 2.7

to guess

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

clock infinitive

clocked past

clocked past participle

clocking present participle

clocks third person singular

Etymology

Clock as a verb comes from the time device clock, which people used to measure time. So to clock someone or something is to record how long they take or how fast they go.