hour

noun

Save Word

\ ˈau̇(-ə)r

Definition of hour

1 : a time or office for daily liturgical devotion especially : canonical hour

2 : the 24th part of a day : 60 minutes

3a : the time of day reckoned in two 12-hour periods

b hours plural : the time reckoned in one 24-hour period from midnight to midnight using a 4-digit number of which the first two digits indicate the hour and the last two digits indicate the minute in the military 4:30 p.m. is called 1630 hours

4a : a customary or particular time lunch hour in our hour of need also : moment sense 1b hero of the hour

b hours plural : time of going to bed keeps late hours also : time of working banker's hours

5 : an angular unit of right ascension equal to 15 degrees measured along the celestial equator

6 : the work done or distance traveled at normal rate in an hour the city was two hours away

7a : a class session

b : credit hour, semester hour

after hours

: after the regular quitting or closing time

Examples of hour in a Sentence

She wasn't supposed to eat for six hours before the operation. You'll be paid by the hour for this job. The job pays ten dollars an hour. She exercises for a full hour every day. She was half an hour late. They arrived a few hours later. The project required long hours of work. The mood changed from hour to hour. These animals are most active in the hour just before sunrise. You can call me at any hour of the day or night.

Recent Examples on the Web The main threats associated with the strongest storms will be heavy downpours causing flash flooding and strong wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour that could produce blowing dust. — Hannah Gard And Monica Garrett, CNN, 19 July 2021 The flash flood watch notes that multiple rounds of storms could drop between 1 and 2 inches of rain per hour. — Pamela Wood, baltimoresun.com, 17 July 2021 At its most active, the meteor shower could have more than 100 visible meteors per hour, reports Josie Fischels for NPR. — Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 July 2021 After factoring in the costs of buying their own smartphones, electric bikes and other gear, delivery workers in New York City were earning between $6.57 and $7.87 per hour, not counting tips, Ms. Figueroa said. — Patrick Mcgeehan, New York Times, 15 July 2021 The starting pay for customer service agents is also lower: $16.50 per hour without the $2 bilingual bonus. — Billy Perrigo, Time, 15 July 2021 The Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August, when up to 100 meteors can be seen per hour, but the celestial event will be active beginning Wednesday, which means shooting stars may be visible on clear nights starting this week. — NBC News, 15 July 2021 From August 11 to 13, up to 100 meteors per hour can be seen in the night sky. — Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 14 July 2021 The Perseids are widely regarded as the best meteor shower all year, producing dozens of bright meteors per hour during peak nights. — Abigail Rosenthal, Chron, 13 July 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hour.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.