Meaning & use
worked around the clock
Last updated
Meanings
phraseintransitive
Kept working continuously through the day and the night to finish something.
Grammar: Describes the subject; no object follows, but you can add a purpose with to + verb: worked around the clock to finish.
Patterns
- worked around the clock to do something
- worked around the clock for someone
- worked around the clock on something
The nurses worked around the clock to care for the injured after the crash.
We worked around the clock for three days and still missed the deadline.
Engineers worked around the clock on the bridge so the road could reopen.
phraseintransitivefigurative
Kept operating without any pause, said of machines or services rather than people.
Grammar: Used with things that run nonstop, such as generators or hotlines; the subject is not a person.
Patterns
- ran around the clock
- operated around the clock
The backup generators worked around the clock until the power came back.
The phone line worked around the clock during the storm, so people could always reach us.
Common combinations
- work around the clock
- Doctors had to work around the clock during the outbreak.
- around the clock to finish
- They worked around the clock to finish the report on time.
- around the clock for weeks
- The team worked around the clock for weeks before the launch.
- an around-the-clock effort
- The rescue was an around-the-clock effort by hundreds of volunteers.
- around-the-clock care
- Her grandfather needs around-the-clock care at home.
Synonyms and how they differ
- worked day and night
- Very close in meaning and equally informal, but it stresses the two halves of the day rather than the image of a clock face.
- worked nonstop
- Focuses on there being no breaks at all; it can describe a short burst of work, while around the clock suggests a full day and night.
- worked round the clock
- The usual British spelling of the same idiom; use it in British texts and around the clock in American ones.
Opposites
Word family
- work around the clock phrase
- The base form of the idiom, used for present or repeated action.
- around-the-clock adjective
- Used before a noun to describe something that never stops, as in around-the-clock service.
Commonly confused: worked around the clock or worked against the clock? worked around the clock or worked overtime?
worked around the clock vs worked against the clock
This different idiom means you hurried because time was running out; around the clock means you simply kept going all day and night.
worked around the clock vs worked overtime
This means you worked extra hours, usually for extra pay, but not necessarily through the night.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom is followed by an infinitive of purpose: worked around the clock to get the hospital ready. Option 1 puts the object before the purpose phrase, which does not fit this pattern, and options 2 and 3 scramble the word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “worked around the clock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.