Meaning & use
clock
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Meanings
nouncountable
A device that shows the time, usually fixed in place and not worn.
Grammar: Use 'clock' for wall or tower clocks; use 'watch' for a small timepiece worn on the wrist.
Patterns
- a clock
- the clock
- on the clock
- around the clock
The clock on the wall says it's almost noon.
I could hear the clock ticking in the quiet room.
The town hall clock strikes every hour.
verbtransitive
To measure or record the time or speed of something.
Grammar: Often used with 'at': 'He clocked the car at 120 mph.'
Patterns
- clock something at something
- clock someone doing something
- clock in
- clock out
The police clocked the speeding car at 90 miles per hour.
She clocked the runner's time with a stopwatch.
Workers must clock in when they arrive and clock out when they leave.
Word forms
| plural | clocks |
|---|---|
| third person singular | clocks |
| past tense | clocked |
| past participle | clocked |
| -ing form | clocking |
Common combinations
- around the clock
- The emergency team worked around the clock to help the victims.
- clock in
- Don't forget to clock in when you start work.
- clock out
- She clocked out at 5 p.m. and went home.
- alarm clock
- I set my alarm clock for 6 a.m.
- clock tower
- The clock tower is a famous landmark in the city.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: clock or watch? clock or o'clock?
clock vs watch
A watch is a small clock you wear on your wrist; a clock is larger and usually not worn.
clock vs o'clock
O'clock is used to tell the time (e.g., 'three o'clock'), while clock is the device itself.
Practice
The police ___ the car at 120 miles per hour.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'clocked' is needed here because the action happened in the past. 'Clock' is the base form, 'clocking' is the -ing form, and 'clocks' is third person singular present.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.