waking hours
plural noun
: the hours in the day that a person is awake
He spent all his waking hours working on the project.
Examples of waking hours in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The group recommends at least 250 lux of circadian-effective light during waking hours, a sharp drop in the evening and near-darkness overnight.
—
Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2026
The man who minted the initials that fill every one of the world's waking hours—CNN —has made a place for himself in contemporary mythology.
—Steven M. L. Aronson, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
First, sleep allows the brain’s glymphatic system to clean out waste, such as beta-amyloid, that accumulates during waking hours, similar to how the lymphatic system clears waste from the rest of the body, Hwang said.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026
Around-the-clock monitoring Cats are often most active outside of typical waking hours, meaning important behavioral signals can occur overnight.
—New Atlas, 1 Apr. 2026
The city that never sleeps spends a lot of its waking hours eating.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2026
But in winter, sunrise and sunset tend to fall squarely within typical waking hours, particularly around commutes to and from work or school.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Thor is the God of Thunder, a mountain of a man who has weathered many a battle in his time, but whose actions in a war fought long ago now haunt his waking hours.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
Modern fiction can’t make any valid claim to realism without acknowledging that its characters spend perhaps a quarter of their waking hours online.
—Gideon Leek, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
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Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2026
The man who minted the initials that fill every one of the world's waking hours—CNN —has made a place for himself in contemporary mythology.
—Steven M. L. Aronson, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
First, sleep allows the brain’s glymphatic system to clean out waste, such as beta-amyloid, that accumulates during waking hours, similar to how the lymphatic system clears waste from the rest of the body, Hwang said.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026
Around-the-clock monitoring Cats are often most active outside of typical waking hours, meaning important behavioral signals can occur overnight.
—New Atlas, 1 Apr. 2026
The city that never sleeps spends a lot of its waking hours eating.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2026
But in winter, sunrise and sunset tend to fall squarely within typical waking hours, particularly around commutes to and from work or school.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Thor is the God of Thunder, a mountain of a man who has weathered many a battle in his time, but whose actions in a war fought long ago now haunt his waking hours.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
Modern fiction can’t make any valid claim to realism without acknowledging that its characters spend perhaps a quarter of their waking hours online.
—Gideon Leek, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waking hours.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waking%20hours. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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