as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
we're at the zero hour, so someone has to make a decision
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of zero hour
The zero hour show begins at 1 p.m. ET and the main matches begin at 3 p.m. ET.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2025
The King video marked the zero hour for new forms of activism using cameras.
—Will Potter
july 7, Literary Hub, 7 July 2025
She's stopped, however, when Derringer and Clarke burst in at the zero hour, giving impassioned speeches about the importance of the alliance.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 3 July 2025
The course will feature the same curriculum as other PE courses, East Aurora High School Principal Jennifer Mitchell said at a curriculum meeting in May, but will be offered during zero hour for the first time next year.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Fighting, however, continued up to the zero hour, with Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon far into the night.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 27 Nov. 2024
English learners can attend a specialized class for learning to speak and write can be accomplished with a before-school (zero hour) or after-school period.
—Madeleine Parrish, The Arizona Republic, 8 Oct. 2024
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
When zero hour arrived, on a muggy Thursday afternoon, her manner was one of resigned acquiescence.
—Ned Zeman, Outside, 14 Nov. 2021
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2025
The King video marked the zero hour for new forms of activism using cameras.
—Will Potter
july 7, Literary Hub, 7 July 2025
She's stopped, however, when Derringer and Clarke burst in at the zero hour, giving impassioned speeches about the importance of the alliance.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 3 July 2025
The course will feature the same curriculum as other PE courses, East Aurora High School Principal Jennifer Mitchell said at a curriculum meeting in May, but will be offered during zero hour for the first time next year.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
Fighting, however, continued up to the zero hour, with Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon far into the night.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 27 Nov. 2024
English learners can attend a specialized class for learning to speak and write can be accomplished with a before-school (zero hour) or after-school period.
—Madeleine Parrish, The Arizona Republic, 8 Oct. 2024
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
When zero hour arrived, on a muggy Thursday afternoon, her manner was one of resigned acquiescence.
—Ned Zeman, Outside, 14 Nov. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zero hour
Noun
-
Is this a particularly bad week, filled with normal crises at an abnormal pace, or is there some sort of grand conspiracy connecting each bizarre emergency?—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Sep. 2025
-
In the late 1830s, as a devastating financial crisis bankrupted antislavery societies across the North, the movement seemed splintered and powerless to keep up its petition pressure campaign.—
Time,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Cooke’s granddaughter, Nicole Cooke-Johnson, saw the project as both deeply personal and part of her ongoing work as the head of his estate.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Intuition guided many of my decisions, often informed by clear references in my head from my own family history.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Zero hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zero%20hour. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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