as in punching
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
sick of being insulted, he swung around and clocked his tormentor hard enough to knock him off his bar stool
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clocking
Horror Nights fans didn’t seem that interested in Wyatt Sicks on opening night with the maze consistently clocking the shortest wait times, as low as 10 minutes at one point.
—
Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
After clocking a world lead at Grand Slam Track Miami, the sprinter continues to maintain a steady performance.
—Paras J. Haji, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Last month, the Lucid Air Grand Touring set a separate Guinness World Record for the longest electric vehicle drive on a single charge, clocking 749 miles (1,205 km) through the Alps and into Germany.
—New Atlas, 23 Aug. 2025
From the outset, Hatosy knew that Abbot was an amputee — his prosthetic leg is only revealed in the final minutes of the finale — who would be clocking out from the night shift in the pilot and then voluntarily return for a mass casualty event later in the season.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2025
Whether people are actively clocking them or not, the choices made by a show’s hair and makeup department are an integral part of the storytelling process.
—Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, 15 Aug. 2025
The sweat-wicking material is designed to breathe, dry quickly, and protect your skin from the sun while clocking thousands of steps on the trail.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2025
The issues range from assistants receiving checks for zero dollars to problems arranging for direct deposit, onboarding new workers and clocking hours worked.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, clocking in from couches on Mondays and Fridays remains supreme; hybrid work remains the most popular among workers of all ages, with each yielding over 50% approval.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
After clocking a world lead at Grand Slam Track Miami, the sprinter continues to maintain a steady performance.
—Paras J. Haji, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Last month, the Lucid Air Grand Touring set a separate Guinness World Record for the longest electric vehicle drive on a single charge, clocking 749 miles (1,205 km) through the Alps and into Germany.
—New Atlas, 23 Aug. 2025
From the outset, Hatosy knew that Abbot was an amputee — his prosthetic leg is only revealed in the final minutes of the finale — who would be clocking out from the night shift in the pilot and then voluntarily return for a mass casualty event later in the season.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2025
Whether people are actively clocking them or not, the choices made by a show’s hair and makeup department are an integral part of the storytelling process.
—Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, 15 Aug. 2025
The sweat-wicking material is designed to breathe, dry quickly, and protect your skin from the sun while clocking thousands of steps on the trail.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2025
The issues range from assistants receiving checks for zero dollars to problems arranging for direct deposit, onboarding new workers and clocking hours worked.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, clocking in from couches on Mondays and Fridays remains supreme; hybrid work remains the most popular among workers of all ages, with each yielding over 50% approval.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clocking
Verb
-
Taddese is on the ground, bent over, face down, as a man kicks him, and the woman who was pushed, dressed in a black jumpsuit and barefoot, gets up and begins punching him.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Samirah, the central performer, entrances Billie—her lyrics punching over vibrating beats, her voice gritty and sultry.—
Lauren Morrow
September 9,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Smith stretched as far as his body would allow, inadvertently hitting the splits in the process.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
All we were focused on was just containing him, knocking the pocket back, just trying to keep him in the pocket, and forcing the football.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
-
No texts, no phone calls, no IMs—just walking over to their house, knocking on the door, and hanging out together?—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Later that night Plumier demonstrates by swiftly slapping the limp green body of a bullfrog hard across his leg.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Tchervinski can be seen in one of videos of the incident slapping a Black man.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
She’s matched wonderfully by Cooke, who leans into her actual Manchester accent to give Cherry a stroppy, sarcastic bent and whose body looks absolutely banging wrapped in an array of oxblood, maroon, and cerise minidresses.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
-
From his head-banging guitar solo to his crisp, impressively precise vocals, Thomas delivered male R&B showmanship reminiscent of Maxwell or D’Angelo.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Center fielder Lawrence Butler was the first player to score, slamming a ball into center field during his first at-bat to lead off the first inning.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The instruments detected gravitational waves, faint ripples in space-time produced by the two black holes slamming into each other.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In the middle, a president who promised to put both conflicts to bed – and whose talk of a Nobel Peace Prize is smacking up against the reality of the Gaza and Ukraine wars.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Under the hot summer sun, players drip sweat after repeatedly smacking into each other during long, physical practices.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Its audio comes through clean and detail-rich, with noise cancelling and automatic limiting to handle background chaos without clipping your voice.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Crews will complete work on the Riverfront Extension Project that requires a shutdown, like clipping wires and placing the overhead guide wire between Second and Third streets.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clocking. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share