English Meaning & Definitions
To register or record the exact time of one's arrival at work, typically using an electronic card, badge, or time clock.
- “Make sure you clock on as soon as you enter the building.”
- “He forgot to clock on this morning, which caused an issue with his payroll.”
To suddenly realize, understand, or become aware of a fact or situation.
- “It took her a few minutes to clock on to what they were joking about.”
- “As soon as the police arrived, the suspect finally clocked on that he was trapped.”
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “clock on”.
Derived from the mechanical 'time clock' or 'punch clock' introduced in the late 19th century (invented by Willard Le Grand Bundy in 1888), where employees would insert a cardboard card into a machine to stamp the exact time they arrived at work. The phrasal verb combines 'clock' (recording time on a device) with 'on' (indicating the start of an activity or shift).
Picture yourself tapping your watch ('clock') to start ('on') your workday.
Frequently Asked Questions About “clock on”
1. What is the meaning of “clock on” in English?
In English, clock on (verb) is defined as: “To register or record the exact time of one's arrival at work, typically using an electronic card, badge, or time clock.”.
2. How do you use “clock on” in a sentence?
“Make sure you clock on as soon as you enter the building.”
3. What are English synonyms of “clock on”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “clock on”?
Derived from the mechanical 'time clock' or 'punch clock' introduced in the late 19th century (invented by Willard Le Grand Bundy in 1888), where employees would insert a cardboard card into a machine to stamp the exact time they arrived at work. The phrasal verb combines 'clock' (recording time on a device) with 'on' (indicating the start of an activity or shift).
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.