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

In a statement on Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Chile said that China strengthens supervision of the country's deep-sea fishing by conducting 24-hour monitoring of its vessels and requiring them to report their positions hourly, far exceeding international standards. —Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025

Tracking 500 stocks and updating the index took much more work and computing power, especially since S&P updated the index hourly, rather than just once per day. —Alex Mayyasi, NPR, 23 Sep. 2025

Adjective

While there’s still some work to do before opening day , The Star got an exclusive sneak peek at the project, which will employ 270 hourly employees in the community. —Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025

For example, hourly employees may find that their typical weekly hours have been cut in half, Ramirez says. —Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 31 Oct. 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