hourly

1 of 2

adverb

hour·​ly ˈau̇(-ə)r-lē 

: at or during every hour

also : frequently, continually

hourly

2 of 2

adjective

1

a

: occurring hour by hour

hourly bus service

b

: frequent, continual

in hourly expectation of the rain's stopping

2

: computed in terms of an hour

an hourly wage

3

: paid by the hour

hourly workers

Synonyms

Adverb

• constantly
• often
• frequently
• repeatedly
• continually

Examples of hourly in a Sentence

Adverb

she checks her phone for messages hourly

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Most general transcriptionists earn $10 to $20 an hour, while specialists like medical or legal transcriptionists often earn more, between $20 and $45 hourly. —Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025

The robot can handle between 350 and 500 parcels hourly weighing about 77 pounds or less. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 20 Aug. 2025

Adjective

Next week, the former New York Times media reporter Ravi Somaiya is launching Bungalow, a project promising to delve deep into stories outside of the daily (and sometimes hourly) news cycle. —Max Tani, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Multiple other storm setups this season have repeatedly produced heavy hourly rainfall rates which can trigger flash flooding in urban corridors, low-lying roadways, small streams and areas below burn scars. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for hourly

• sourly

Kids Definition

hourly

adjective

hour·​ly

ˈau̇(ə)r-lē

1

: occurring every hour

hourly bus service

2

: figured in terms of one hour

hourly wages

hourly adverb