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 mother spends her waking hours working on other people’s farms and performing tasks the neighbors prefer not to do themselves.
—
The Know, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
Even Rue’s childhood friend Lexi (Maude Apatow), who appears to be the only main character to emerge from the time jump with a college degree, has no one’s idea of a good life, spending nearly all her waking hours fetching lunches and coffees as a showrunner’s apprentice.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 28 May 2026
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, 9 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
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The Know, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
Even Rue’s childhood friend Lexi (Maude Apatow), who appears to be the only main character to emerge from the time jump with a college degree, has no one’s idea of a good life, spending nearly all her waking hours fetching lunches and coffees as a showrunner’s apprentice.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 28 May 2026
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, 9 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
Cite this Entry
“Waking hours.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waking%20hours. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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