happy hour

American  

noun

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.

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happy hour British  

noun

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

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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]

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Etymology

Origin of happy hour

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

“I think he’s running out of steam,” a few of my D.C. happy hour comrades confessed Wednesday after the hearings, “Or he’s really sicker than he lets on.”

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026

They offer a wide selection of fish and seafood, along with a daily happy hour with great deals.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

Once a staple of professional life, happy hour is now a casualty of a corporate cultural reset.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

If you sit at the bar, you can get happy hour all night.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025

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