all hours

Idioms

Irregular times, as in You can't come home at all hours and expect your supper to be ready. The expression can also mean “late at night,” as in College students like to stay up talking until all hours. It is sometimes amplified into all hours of the day and night. [c. 1930]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If Evy is virtually alone in a house where strange noises are occurring at all hours, what would possess her to put on noise-canceling headphones, other than a death wish?

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

At the site where he was killed in south Minneapolis, close to the Calvary Baptist Church, mourners gathered at all hours to lay flowers and light candles in his honour.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

There are some markets in the U.S. where investors can already trade at all hours.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 13, 2025

There, her son, distraught, slept all hours of the day.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2025

She used to come around at all hours of the night to see if I wet the bed.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023