adverb
1. : in an attempt to approach, equal, or surpass a record or a previously recorded time
they raced, not against each other, but against time
2. : in an effort to complete an action before a certain time
he wrote the essay hurriedly, as if against time
were working against time to repair the levees
3. : with the intention of effecting a delay by using up time
the legislator was merely talking against time