🗓️ Idiom: Race Against Time (n)
💬 Meaning
- A situation where you must do something very quickly before a deadline.
- Working fast because there is limited time available.
🧠 Example Sentences
- We were in a race against time to finish the report before the meeting.
- It’s a race against time to fix the bugs before the software launch.
- The team is in a race against time to meet the end of quarter targets.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from sports and competitions where time limits are involved. In business, it means you’re working urgently to meet a goal before time runs out. It shows pressure and the need for fast action.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The developers were in a __________ to solve the issue before the system went live.
Answer
race against time
2. Choose the correct meaning of “race against time”:
A) A slow and relaxed project
B) A challenge that has no deadline
C) A situation where work must be done very quickly before time runs out
D) A competition with no winner
Answer
C) A situation where work must be done very quickly before time runs out
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“We had very little time to finish the task, so we worked as fast as we could.” → Change the sentence using: race against time
Answer
We were in a race against time to finish the task.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
