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.
The most famous are "lying flat", when people opt out of the rat race entirely, and "involution", a rather clunky term now commonly used to describe intense competition which generates little meaningful reward.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
"Our younger generation... they're always in this little rat race, keeping up with social media," the 61-year-old said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
“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
My mom and stepdad wanted a deeper connection with the earth and to get away from the rat race.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
Valerie was clearly weary of the rat race.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
