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

New York Attorney General Letitia James accused UPS of failing to record all hours worked, requiring off-the-clock labor and manipulating timekeeping systems to reduce paid hours, following an investigation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

The answer, he added, is "with a source like nuclear, that is not producing CO2, that is producing all hours of the year".

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025

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

From MarketWatch • Nov. 13, 2025

Perhaps you should spend less time playing Xbox at all hours of the night.

From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander

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