Meaning & use
working around the clock
Last updated
UK/ˌwɜːkɪŋ əˈraʊnd ðə ˈklɒk/
US/ˌwɜːrkɪŋ əˈraʊnd ðə ˈklɑːk/
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
Working continuously, day and night, without stopping.
Grammar: Used after be or a verb: they are working around the clock.
Patterns
- be working around the clock
- work around the clock
- work around the clock to do something
Doctors worked around the clock to save the patients.
The team is working around the clock to fix the problem.
We worked around the clock for three days to meet the deadline.
Common combinations
- work around the clock
- They worked around the clock to finish the project.
- be working around the clock
- The staff are working around the clock during the festival.
- work around the clock to
- Engineers worked around the clock to restore power.
Synonyms and how they differ
- around-the-clock
- As an adjective before a noun, use 'around-the-clock': around-the-clock care. The phrase 'working around the clock' is the verb form.
- nonstop
- Nonstop means without stopping but does not always suggest day and night; 'around the clock' specifically means 24 hours.
Commonly confused: working around the clock or around the clock?
working around the clock vs around the clock
This is the full idiom meaning 'all day and night'. 'Working around the clock' adds the idea of working.
Practice
The rescue team worked ___ the clock to find survivors.
Choose one answer.
The fixed idiom is 'around the clock'. Other prepositions do not form this expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “working around the clock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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