small hours

plural noun

: the early morning hours

Examples of small hours in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Frenetic, handheld scenes of Jordan’s friends guzzling handles of Tito’s at house parties give way to impressionistic passages of those same friends walking through a local nature preserve or pumping gas in the small hours before daylight. Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 4 Aug. 2025 In neighboring Shanxi province, a bus carrying 14 people went missing near a village in the small hours of Sunday. Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 28 July 2025 The Senate approved the measure in the small hours of Thursday morning. Scott Neuman, NPR, 17 July 2025 Billionaire investor Bill Ackman posted a lengthy tweet in the small hours of the morning promising to financially back any viable candidate who could still defeat Mamdani. Diane Brady, Fortune, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for small hours

Word History

First Known Use

1717, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of small hours was in 1717

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Small hours.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/small%20hours. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!