rat race

IPA/ˈræt ˌreɪs/
IPA/ˈræt ˌreɪs/

rat race — noun

1. an exhausting lifestyle in which people keep chasing money, status, or career su

1.nounB2
Definition

an exhausting lifestyle in which people keep chasing money, status, or career success and have little time to relax or enjoy life.

Example

After ten years in banking, Soraya left the rat race and opened a seaside bakery.

leave the rat race

The crowded commuter train reminded Owen why he hated the rat race.

the rat race in daily city work

Common collocations
  • escape the rat race
  • leave the rat race
  • the daily rat race
  • the city's rat race
  • drop out of the rat race
Synonyms
  • grind

    focuses on tiring daily work; rat race adds stronger competition for success and status

  • treadmill

    stresses effort without progress; rat race keeps the idea of rivalry with other people

  • hustle culture

    more modern and social; often criticizes the belief that constant work should define your life

Antonyms
  • slow life

    emphasizes calmer living with less pressure and less competition

  • easygoing life

    broader and less fixed; suggests a relaxed pace rather than nonstop ambition

Grammar Patterns

the rat race

escape/leave the rat race

drop out of the rat race

Usage Note

Usually refers to an ongoing way of life, not just one stressful day. It often appears with verbs such as 'escape', 'leave', 'quit', or 'drop out of', and it commonly suggests disapproval of career pressure and competition.

Common Mistakes

My Monday meeting was a rat race.
My job feels like a rat race.
use it for a continuing lifestyle of pressure and competition, not one busy event.
She wants to leave rat race.
She wants to leave the rat race.
this phrase usually takes the article 'the'.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Rat race' is strongly negative and pictures people competing nonstop for money, promotion, or status. 'The grind' also suggests tiring daily work, but it focuses more on repetition than on rivalry, so a nurse or factory worker can complain about the grind without competing with anyone. 'Treadmill' highlights effort that seems endless and gets you nowhere. 'Hustle culture' is a newer phrase criticizing the idea that you should always be working, networking, and improving yourself. If Ilan says he wants to leave the rat race, he means he wants to step away from a whole lifestyle of pressure and competition, not just finish one hard week at work.

rat race ↗grind ↗treadmill ↗hustle culture

Etymology

English

This phrase joins 'rat' and 'race' to compare modern working life with rats scrambling through a maze or wheel for a reward. The image suggests constant movement, pressure, and competition, while also hinting that the effort can feel repetitive and joyless.

First known use

1937

1937, in the meaning defined above