happy hour

American  

noun

happy hours plural

1. a cocktail hour or longer period at a bar, during which drinks are served at reduced prices or with free snacks.

   happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m.

---

happy hour British  

noun

1. a time, usually in the early evening, when some pubs or bars sell drinks at reduced prices

---

happy hour Idioms  

1. A period in the late afternoon or early evening when a bar or lounge features drinks at reduced prices. For example, The hotel bar has a happy hour from five to seven every day. [1960s]

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• happy hours
  plural

Etymology

Origin of happy hour

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

happy hour

I understand that the Reconstruction Amendments might not feel like the most compelling discussion topic for happy hour.

From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026

"My friends and I love happy hour, just like many of you do," she told them.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

She cares more about factors like the weather and if she’s going to happy hour after.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

It’s great for dinner parties or a casual happy hour snack and will have everyone thinking you paid for catering.

From Salon ● May 22, 2026

Some of the pilots were drifting back from the bar, still laughing at the rare faux pas of a colonel’s wife calling her husband at happy hour.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy