zero hour
Americannoun
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the time set for the beginning of a military attack or operation.
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the time set for the beginning of any event or action.
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a decisive or critical time.
noun
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military the time set for the start of an attack or the initial stage of an operation
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informal a critical time, esp at the commencement of an action
Etymology
Origin of zero hour
First recorded in 1915–20
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.
Zero hour contracts, payday loans, unstable jobs, mobile phone bills, subscription services and increasing rent prices are thought to be partly behind the rise, the Registry Trust says.
From BBC • Feb. 12, 2020
Zero hour, the time when a planned military operation is scheduled to begin, has taken on a new meaning.
From Salon • Dec. 30, 2018
"Zero hour is on us," intoned a voice over the nation's TV sets.
From Time Magazine Archive
Zero hour came at 3:59 p.m. on the second day of the debate.
From Time Magazine Archive
Zero hour, I was told, was early the next morning.
From The Great War As I Saw It by Scott, Frederick George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
