How to Use ticking in a Sentence

ticking

noun
  • And as Lynette said, there was a ticking clock.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
  • That’s about as quiet as the ticking of a watch.
    — Rosecrans Baldwin, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The second hand also sweeps around the clock face, so there's no ticking.
    — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 22 Aug. 2022
  • Just a formal message and a ticking clock.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
  • The rhythmic ticking of an analog clock could be grounding in some rooms.
    — Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Loveland suddenly faced the end zone with green turf in front of him and the clock ticking.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Might seem like the Cowboys still have room to figure all this out, but the clock’s ticking.
    — Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 14 June 2023
  • And every so often, the virus plants a ticking time bomb in the nervous system.
    — ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
  • And with each procedure, the ticking of the hands of time seems a little louder.
    — Dan Pompei, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
  • For much of the film, that enticing idea undergirds the main plot line like a ticking time bomb.
    — Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Just a solid, weighty dial to twist, and a ticking sound that gently marks the passing time.
    — Francesca Krempa, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
  • One thing that will never change is the ticking of time and the arrival of a New Year.
    — Christopher Brito, CBS News, 24 Sep. 2020
  • Where Elijah sees the end days of his career, Lee hears the ticking of an egg timer.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025
  • And Rupert’s age also functioned as a ticking clock.
    — Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The insurance and housing sectors are scrambling to try to get ahead of this ticking time bomb.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025
  • After some settling in, the ticking began.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
  • After all, his forebears as the world’s best players were prepared to accept the ticking of the clock.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2022
  • But that ticking, which was in fact a silence, something like acceptance, was ominous.
    — Paul Theroux, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022
  • Now the 60 Minutes clock is tick-tick-ticking for Blood & Guts.
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026
  • Or is its famous ticking timer, as some fear, literally running out?
    — ABC News, 3 June 2026
  • There's a ticking clock for lawmakers to take action before the federal changes kick in.
    — Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Quinerly had to throw one off a defender’s knee early and then threw one out of bounds with the five-second clock ticking.
    — Michael Casagrande | [email protected], al, 15 Feb. 2023
  • What if Nikita Kucherov made better puck touches with the clock ticking on the season?
    — Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 6 May 2026
  • With the clock ticking, Abigail gives the gutting order to leave the locals behind.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • The music fades, leaving only a faint ticking that will eventually fade, too.
    — Siobhan Burke, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2023
  • The blue ticking stripe is a classic and subtle way to incorporate more pattern into your bed styling.
    — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2025
  • And the sounds – the clang of the metal shutter, the ticking of the drive clock and the clacking of the chains add deeply to the experience.
    — Dean Regas, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2022
  • Habituation comes in handy to tune out disturbances such as a clock ticking or traffic noise.
    — Cheryl Russell, Oc Register, 18 Jan. 2026
  • The French ticking stripe in navy blue gives it an heirloom touch that doesn’t always translate with the modern stripe patterns.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The French ticking stripe in navy blue gives it an heirloom touch that doesn’t always translate with the modern stripe patterns.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ticking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: