zero hour
noun
1
a
: the hour at which a planned military operation is scheduled to start
b
: the time at which a usually significant or notable event is scheduled to take place
2
: a time when a vital decision or decisive change must be made
Synonyms
Examples of zero hour in a Sentence
we're at the zero hour, so someone has to make a decision
Recent Examples on the Web
As the zero hour approached, the men fiddled with their automatic rifles while their leader, Habib Rahman Inqayad, scrambled to get the exact location of their target.
—
Safiullah Padshah, New York Times, 17 June 2023
The Germans called 1945 Stunde null, zero hour.
—The New Yorker, 4 July 2021
This point of the Vernal Equinox on the celestial equator defines the zero hour of R.A. in our coordinate system.
—Curtis Roelle, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 6 Mar. 2021
As Pac-12 teams prepare for Week Two, the existential clock approaches zero hour.
—oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2022
Hiking through the emerald green canopy of the bosque, or riverside cottonwood forest, near downtown Albuquerque, Tricia Snyder, an advocate for WildEarth Guardians, believes zero hour has arrived for the Rio Grande.
—Jim Robbins, Wired, 25 June 2022
Biden's August deadline marks zero hour for the next phase of a larger international quest: to trace back the virus in order to hold the responsible parties to account, and to understand its inception in order to prevent the next one.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2021
In Germany, some 3 million workers are being supported, with the government paying up to 60% of their net salary if they are temporarily put on shorter or zero hours.
—Masha MacPherson and David McHugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2020
Major milestones in the emergency plan are performed according to a predetermined schedule in the hours and days leading up to the zero hour.
—Daniel B. Hess, CNN, 2 Sep. 2019
See More
Safiullah Padshah, New York Times, 17 June 2023
The Germans called 1945 Stunde null, zero hour.
—The New Yorker, 4 July 2021
This point of the Vernal Equinox on the celestial equator defines the zero hour of R.A. in our coordinate system.
—Curtis Roelle, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 6 Mar. 2021
As Pac-12 teams prepare for Week Two, the existential clock approaches zero hour.
—oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2022
Hiking through the emerald green canopy of the bosque, or riverside cottonwood forest, near downtown Albuquerque, Tricia Snyder, an advocate for WildEarth Guardians, believes zero hour has arrived for the Rio Grande.
—Jim Robbins, Wired, 25 June 2022
Biden's August deadline marks zero hour for the next phase of a larger international quest: to trace back the virus in order to hold the responsible parties to account, and to understand its inception in order to prevent the next one.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2021
In Germany, some 3 million workers are being supported, with the government paying up to 60% of their net salary if they are temporarily put on shorter or zero hours.
—Masha MacPherson and David McHugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2020
Major milestones in the emergency plan are performed according to a predetermined schedule in the hours and days leading up to the zero hour.
—Daniel B. Hess, CNN, 2 Sep. 2019
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'zero hour.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
from its being marked by the count of zero in a countdown
First Known Use
1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near zero hour
Cite this Entry
“Zero hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zero%20hour. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
zero hour
noun1
: the hour at which a military action is scheduled to start
2
: a moment of crisis
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