zero hours

noun

plural of zero hour
as in crises
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action we're at the zero hour, so someone has to make a decision

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of zero hours Nevertheless, this is an improvement on the zero hours that (many) men were doing 50 years ago. — Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zero hours
  1. crises
  2. crossroads
  3. heads
Noun
  • Across the island, Cubans are pressing on even as the crises deepen, including 90-year-old Lázaro Alfonso Oviedo.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Brizé weaves between these absurd moments and two slow-simmering crises that cause Carla to begin doubting her diehard commitment to work.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of crises
Noun
  • Jeffries, who is poised to become the House speaker if his party wins power and would be the first Democrat to wield the gavel since Pelosi, faces a party at a crossroads.
    — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Although geopolitical analysts love to talk about turning points, crossroads, and dilemmas, many governments have a prosaic tendency to defy these dramatic predictions and muddle through.
    — Ben Bland, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of crossroads
Noun
  • Before the paddock heads to Madrid for the last European race of the season, here’s the latest edition of our post-race F1 mailbag.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Your best FinOps practitioners’ instincts are the raw material for this next wave, and the organizations that pull ahead will capture that expertise as policy an agent can act on, rather than leaving it locked in a few people’s heads.
    — Devendra Rajput, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of heads

Browse Nearby Words

zero hour
zero hours
zeroing (in on)
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Cite this Entry

“Zero hours.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zero%20hours. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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