English

Noun

rat race ‎(uncountable)

1. (idiomatic, singular only) An activity or situation which is congested with participants and which is hectic or tedious, especially in the context of a busy, modern urban lifestyle.
   • 2006, Richard Corliss, "Get Your Motor Running," Time, 14 May:

     . . . a 1950s-ish town, keeping a sense of community far from the superhighway rat race.

2. (by extension) The busy, modern urban lifestyle itself.

Translations