ticking clock

noun

A literary device in which the protagonist has a strict time limit, used to heighten tension.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounticking clock (plural ticking clocks)

plural ticking clocks

  1. communicationsA literary device in which the protagonist has a strict time limit, used to heighten tension.
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see tick, clock.
Cite this entry
APA

ticking clock. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ticking%20clock

MLA

“ticking clock.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ticking%20clock. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ticking clock,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ticking%20clock.

Source: ticking clock on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.