Have you felt that rush when the clock seems to sprint ahead while you’re trying to catch up? That’s exactly the kind of moment when the idiom “against time” shows up. In this post, I’ll break down what it means, where it came from, and how you can use it naturally in sentences.
Meaning of “Against Time”
The idiom “against time” means working under pressure to finish something before a deadline.
Sometimes it also refers to:
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Competing with the clock to achieve a task as fast as possible
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Racing to finish something before an event or consequence occurs
Summary: It means trying to complete something quickly because time is running out.
Origin of “Against Time”
The phrase “against time” is believed to have developed from sports and racing terminology in the 19th century. In early competitive events, participants didn’t only race against opponents—they often raced against time itself to beat previous records.
Over the years, the phrase moved beyond sports and became part of everyday language. While the exact first written use is unclear, most language historians agree that it grew naturally from the world of timed competitions and eventually evolved into a general expression for any situation involving a tight deadline.
Examples in Sentences
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The research team worked against time to finish the report before the meeting.
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We were running against time to catch the last bus home.
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Firefighters raced against time to rescue the trapped hikers.
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She felt she was constantly struggling against time during exam week.
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The engineers are now working against time to fix the system outage.
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I cooked breakfast against time this morning after waking up late.
Similar Idioms or Phrases
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Race against the clock – To rush because time is limited.
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Time is of the essence – Used formally to say something must be done quickly.
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On the clock – Often used to show you’re being timed or under time pressure.
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Pressed for time – You don’t have enough time to do something.
There are days when this idiom feels like it sums up my entire schedule. I use it when talking about deadlines, especially on busy writing days when everything seems to happen at once. It’s a quick way to capture that mix of urgency and determination we all know so well.
Wrapping things up, “against time” is a simple but powerful idiom that describes the universal rush of trying to beat the clock. From school deadlines to everyday tasks, it fits almost any situation where urgency kicks in. Do you use “against time” in your everyday conversations? Share your examples in the comments!