What does clocked mean?
"Clocked" is the past tense of the verb "to clock," most commonly used to mean recording or measuring how fast something moves or how long it takes. Sports commentary frequently features the word — a runner might be clocked at ten seconds over one hundred metres, or a car clocked doing twice the speed limit. By extension, it can describe logging hours of work, as when employees are clocked for payroll purposes. Informally, especially in American speech, being clocked also means receiving a heavy blow, typically to the head. A further informal British sense refers simply to noticing or spotting something, as in "she clocked him staring." The word carries a brisk, practical tone, rooted in the mechanical world of timekeeping devices, and remains firmly embedded in everyday language despite its centuries-old origins in the word for a bell-ringing timepiece.
Past tense and past participle of "clock": recorded or measured the time or speed of.
"Police clocked the driver travelling well above the speed limit."
Struck someone a hard blow, especially on the head (informal).
"The two men argued before one of them clocked the other across the jaw."
Noticed or observed something (informal, chiefly British).
"I clocked her expression change as soon as I mentioned his name."
Before clocks were invented, people still "clocked" their hours — but with sundials and water clocks instead.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clocked
The verb "clock" derives from the noun "clock," which entered Middle English from Old Northern French "cloke," ultimately from Medieval Latin "clocca," meaning bell — the first mechanical timepieces announced the hours by ringing bells rather than showing hands. The sense of measuring or recording time developed naturally once clocks became standard instruments for timing events. The informal senses of striking someone and noticing something arose later through colloquial use, likely by metaphorical extension.
Related word forms
How clocked is actually used
Informal senses vary by region: the "strike" sense is common in American English, while the "notice" sense is chiefly British. In sports journalism, "clocked" almost always refers to measured time or speed.
Easily confused with clocked
"Clocked" relates to measuring time or striking; "croaked" means made a frog-like sound or died (slang).