English idiom

rat race

Register · Informal CEFR B1

Post

Figurative meaning

the exhausting, competitive struggle to keep up at work and get ahead

Why this phrase?

From lab rats endlessly running their wheels: frantic motion, no progress.

Example

“The founders left the corporate rat race to bootstrap their own thing.”

Dictionary details

Component words

rat race

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

arms race

a competitive spiral in which rivals keep escalating their investment to stay ahead

race to the bottom

a competitive spiral that drives prices, quality, or standards lower and lower

burn the candle at both ends

to work so hard and long that you exhaust yourself

pressure cooker

an intensely stressful environment or situation

call it a day

To decide to stop working on something for now.

do the job

to be good enough to achieve the desired result

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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