hour
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.
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.
any specific time of day; the time indicated by a timepiece: What is the hour?
a short or limited period of time: He savored his hour of glory.
a particular or appointed time: What was the hour of death? At what hour do you open?
a customary or usual time: When is your dinner hour?
the present time: The magazine had an interview with the man of the hour, star of the hottest new superhero movie.
hours,
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.
customary time of going to bed and getting up: Actors often keep late hours.
(in the Christian church) the seven stated times of the day for prayer and devotion.
the offices or services prescribed for the seven stated times of the day for prayer and devotion.
a book containing the seven stated times of the day for prayer and devotion.
distance normally covered in an hour's traveling: We live about an hour from the city.
Astronomy. a unit of measure of right ascension representing 15°, or the twenty-fourth part of a great circle.
a single period, as of class instruction or therapeutic consultation, usually lasting from 40 to 55 minutes.: Compare clock-hour.
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.
the Hours, Classical Mythology. the Horae.
of, relating to, or noting an hour.
Idioms about hour
one's hour,
Also one's last hour. the instant of death: The sick man knew that his hour had come.
any crucial moment.
Origin of hour
1Other words from hour
- hourless, adjective
Words that may be confused with hour
Words Nearby hour
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hour in a sentence
Even in our southern areas, the snow will not last that long, tapering off in the predawn hours Friday and mostly over by sunrise.
Snow expected tonight, mainly south of D.C., before possible ice on Saturday | Jason Samenow, Wes Junker | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostEven 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.
The important thing about the Mike Lee impeachment trial dust-up | Aaron Blake | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostThe 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.
Best heated vest: Beat the cold weather with the right winter gear | PopSci Commerce Team | February 9, 2021 | Popular-ScienceMartin likes to compare the challenge that RapidSOS is setting out to tackle to that of an hour glass.
RapidSOS raises $85M for a big data platform aimed at emergency responders | Ingrid Lunden | February 9, 2021 | TechCrunchIf 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.
Is your dog actually smart? Depends on its memory. | By Jan Hoole/The Conversation | February 8, 2021 | Popular-Science
So here I am in my requisite Lululemon pants, grunting along to an old hip-hop song at a most ungodly hour.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze | Lizzie Crocker | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAn hour later, he scored a second flight to Johannesburg for $380.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement | Charlise Ferguson | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHe was released within the hour without a bond on his own recognizance.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face? | Goldie Taylor | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe child almost died from the delay of an hour in seeking help.
Her phone rings at least once an hour with questions from journalists, which she answers in Arabic, English, and sometimes French.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda | Ruth Michaelson | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe night wore on, and the clock downstairs was striking the hour of two when she suddenly awakened.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxThe sound of my step shall make your heart jump; a look from me shall make you dumb for an hour.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuWords are often everywhere as the minute-hands of the soul, more important than even the hour-hands of action.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. BallouAfter an hour, however, he reached this decision: He would not go to or call up Mrs. Merley.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxIt was the darkest hour of twilight, when there was just enough of gleam from the lurid sky, to shew the outline of objects.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
British Dictionary definitions for hour
/ (aʊə) /
a period of time equal to 3600 seconds; 1/24 th of a calendar day: Related adjectives: horal, horary
any of the points on the face of a timepiece that indicate intervals of 60 minutes
the hour an exact number of complete hours: the bus leaves on the hour
the time of day as indicated by a watch, clock, etc
the period of time allowed for or used for something: the lunch hour; the hour of prayer
a special moment or period: our finest hour
the hour the present time: the man of the hour
the distance covered in an hour: we live an hour from the city
astronomy an angular measurement of right ascension equal to 15° or a 24th part of the celestial equator
one's hour
a time of success, fame, etc
Also: one's last hour the time of one's death: his hour had come
take one's hour Irish informal to do something in a leisurely manner
Origin of hour
1- See also hours
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for hour
[ our ]
A unit of time equal to one of the 24 equal parts of a day; 60 minutes.♦ A sidereal hour is 124 of a sidereal day, and a mean solar hour is 124 of a mean solar day. See more at sidereal time solar time.
A unit of measure of longitude or right ascension, equal to 15° or 124 of a great circle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with hour
see after hours; all hours; by the day (hour); eleventh hour; happy hour; keep late hours; on the hour; small hours.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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