hour

noun

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\ 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

More Example Sentences Phrases Containing hour Learn More About hour

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web The hallway ran adjacent to two interconnected classrooms where the 18-year-old gunman slaughtered his victims and where he remained holed up for over an hour. — Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, 14 Sep. 2022 Living on the border of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, residents of the county had to drive up to half an hour and cross the state line to buy groceries, according to Florence County Economic Development Director Wendy Gehlhoff. — Lauryn Azu And Joe States, Journal Sentinel, 13 Sep. 2022 The volunteer dive group found it in the Prosser Creek Reservoir a little more than half an hour into their search. — Sophie Reardon, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2022 Ella Toone, a 22-year-old substitute, ran onto a 30-yard ball over the top of the German defense and lobbed the goalkeeper to put England 1-0 up and less than half an hour from the trophy. — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 31 July 2022 Both came up playing in elite circuits, and both played high-school baseball in California — Mayer at Eastlake HS in Chula Vista near the border and Romero at Orange Lutheran, a little over an hour north near Los Angeles. — Tom Westerholm, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2022 The house, a sprawling Victorian mansion next to a corn field in Momence, Illinois, priced at $69,900, was just about an hour’s drive from Chicago and Naperville, where Mike’s company has U.S. offices. — Colin Lodewick, Fortune, 16 July 2022 Porter is the local talent, growing up less than half an hour from Comerica Park. — Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 15 July 2022 The agreements came hours after the meetings began with López Obrador offering more than half an hour worth of comments. — Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2022 See More

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.