rat race

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Maybe what I need to do is just celebrate all I’ve done instead of getting back into this rat race, on this treadmill, and look for something totally different,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

China’s industrial rat race helped power the country’s economic miracle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Yet the pressures - the ones that are pushing more Chinese youth to quit the rat race, "lie flat" and take their frustrations out online - remain.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025

For this Money Talks, it’s time to turn the rat race into a rat walk on the beach.

From Slate • Oct. 1, 2024

Valerie was clearly weary of the rat race.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis