in the nick of time

idiom

informal
: just before the last moment when something can be changed or something bad will happen
He decided to go just in the nick of time.
The ambulance arrived in the nick of time.

Examples of in the nick of time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But Charles Haden-Savage (Martin) and Oliver Putnam (Short) appeared just in the nick of time — after traversing across the outer wall of the building! Jordana Comiter, People.com, 25 Feb. 2025 Basically, the Robin Hood figure, the noble loner, the mysterious stranger that shows up in the nick of time, solves the problem and then rides off into the sunset. Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 16 Feb. 2025 Hundreds of tiny endangered fish were saved from the Palisades burn area — in the nick of time. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025 Shooter Beck lighting fires all over the place before putting them out just in the nick of time. Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for in the nick of time

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Cite this Entry

“In the nick of time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20nick%20of%20time. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

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