hour

[ ouuhr, ou-er ]

noun

1. a period of time equal to one twenty-fourth of a mean solar or civil day and equivalent to 60 minutes:

   He slept for an hour.

2. any specific one of 24 periods of 60 minutes, usually reckoned in two series of 12, one series from midnight to noon and the second from noon to midnight, but sometimes reckoned in one series of 24, from midnight to midnight:

   He slept for the hour between 2 and 3 a.m. The hour for the bombardment was between 1300 and 1400.

3. any specific time of day; the time indicated by a timepiece:

   What is the hour?

4. a short or limited period of time:

   He savored his hour of glory.

5. a particular or appointed time:

   What was the hour of death? At what hour do you open?

6. a customary or usual time:

   When is your dinner hour?

7. the present time:

   The magazine had an interview with the man of the hour, star of the hottest new superhero movie.

8. hours,
   1. time spent in an office, factory, or the like, or for work, study, etc.:

      The doctor's hours were from 10 to 4. What employees do after hours is their own business.

   2. customary time of going to bed and getting up:

      Actors often keep late hours.

   3. (in the Christian church) the seven stated times of the day for prayer and devotion.
   4. the offices or services prescribed for the seven stated times of the day for prayer and devotion.
   5. a book containing the seven stated times of the day for prayer and devotion.
9. distance normally covered in an hour's traveling:

   We live about an hour from the city.

10. Astronomy. a unit of measure of right ascension representing 15°, or the twenty-fourth part of a great circle.
11. a single period, as of class instruction or therapeutic consultation, usually lasting from 40 to 55 minutes. Compare clock-hour.
12. Education. Also called credit hour. one unit of academic credit, usually representing attendance at one scheduled period of instruction per week throughout a semester, quarter, or term.
13. the Hours, Classical Mythology. the Horae.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or noting an hour.

hour

/ aʊə /

noun

1. a period of time equal to 3600 seconds; 1 24 th of a calendar day horalhorary
2. any of the points on the face of a timepiece that indicate intervals of 60 minutes
3. the hour
   an exact number of complete hours

   the bus leaves on the hour

4. the time of day as indicated by a watch, clock, etc
5. the period of time allowed for or used for something

   the hour of prayer

   the lunch hour

6. a special moment or period

   our finest hour

7. the hour
   the present time

   the man of the hour

8. the distance covered in an hour

   we live an hour from the city

9. astronomy an angular measurement of right ascension equal to 15° or a 24th part of the celestial equator
10. one's hour
    1. a time of success, fame, etc
    2. Alsoone's last hour the time of one's death

       his hour had come

11. take one's hour informal.
    to do something in a leisurely manner

hour

/ our /

1. A unit of time equal to one of the 24 equal parts of a day; 60 minutes.
2. ◆ A sidereal hour is 1 24 of a sidereal day, and a mean solar hour is 1 24 of a mean solar day.
3. See more at sidereal time
4. A unit of measure of longitude or right ascension, equal to 15° or 1 24 of a great circle.

Other Words From

• hour·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hour¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English (h)oure from Anglo-French; Old French (h)ore, from Latin hōra, from Greek hṓrā “time, season”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hour¹

C13: from Old French hore, from Latin hōra, from Greek: season

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. one's hour,
   1. Also one's last hour. the instant of death:

      The sick man knew that his hour had come.

   2. any crucial moment.

More idioms and phrases containing hour

see after hours ; all hours ; by the day (hour) ; eleventh hour ; happy hour ; keep late hours ; on the hour ; small hours .

Example Sentences

Even in our southern areas, the snow will not last that long, tapering off in the predawn hours Friday and mostly over by sunrise.

From Washington Post

Even an hour after Capitol barricades were breached — something that played widely on cable news — we have no real evidence he was truly “horrified,” and plenty that he wasn’t.

From Washington Post

The best heated vests will have batteries that are easy and quick to recharge, heat the vest quickly upon wearing, and offer many hours of warmth and comfort between charges.

From Popular-Science

Martin likes to compare the challenge that RapidSOS is setting out to tackle to that of an hour glass.

From TechCrunch

If your pet is an Afghan hound or a St Bernard, you should not expect it to be interested in spending hours fetching toys for you.

From Popular-Science

So here I am in my requisite Lululemon pants, grunting along to an old hip-hop song at a most ungodly hour.

From The Daily Beast

An hour later, he scored a second flight to Johannesburg for $380.

From The Daily Beast

He was released within the hour without a bond on his own recognizance.

From The Daily Beast

The child almost died from the delay of an hour in seeking help.

From The Daily Beast

Her phone rings at least once an hour with questions from journalists, which she answers in Arabic, English, and sometimes French.

From The Daily Beast

The night wore on, and the clock downstairs was striking the hour of two when she suddenly awakened.

From Project Gutenberg

The sound of my step shall make your heart jump; a look from me shall make you dumb for an hour.

From Project Gutenberg

Words are often everywhere as the minute-hands of the soul, more important than even the hour-hands of action.

From Project Gutenberg

After an hour, however, he reached this decision: He would not go to or call up Mrs. Merley.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the darkest hour of twilight, when there was just enough of gleam from the lurid sky, to shew the outline of objects.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• age
• date
• day
• era
• future
• generation
• life
• moment
• month
• occasion
• pace
• past
• point
• present
• season
• second
• space
• stage
• term
• turn