# race against time

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/race-against-time
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A situation in which something must be done hurriedly, before a deadline.

## Examples

- We are in a race against time to finish this project.
- The rescue team is in a race against time to find the hikers before the storm hits the mountain.
- As the deadline approached, the engineers found themselves in a desperate race against time to repair the failing system before the entire network collapsed.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.