clock in
B1 neutral inseparable intransitive
In simple words
To press a button or use a card to show what time you started work.
Literal meaning: To record ('clock') your entry ('in') on a timekeeping device.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To register your arrival at work by recording the time, typically using a card, machine, or app.
"All warehouse staff must clock in before entering the loading area."
Grammar: inseparable
2 B2
idiomatic
informal
To record a particular time or score upon arrival or completion of something (informal, extended use).
"The runner clocked in at just under four minutes for the mile."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Common in workplaces with formal time-tracking systems. 'Clock in' is standard in American and British English. Sometimes used figuratively to mean simply 'arriving and starting work.'
Commonly used with
work shift factory system time machine
Forms
Base
clock in
I/you/we/they
3rd person
clocks in
he/she/it
Past simple
clocked in
yesterday
Past participle
clocked in
have + pp
-ing form
clocking in
continuous
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