hourly

American  

[auuhr-lee, au-er-] / ˈaʊər li, ˈaʊ ər- /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, occurring, or done each successive hour.

   hourly news reports.

2. computed or totaled in terms of an hour; using an hour as a basic unit of reckoning.

   hourly wages.

3. hired to work for wages by the hour.

   hourly workers.

4. frequent; continual.

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adverb

1. every hour; hour by hour.

2. at each hour or during every hour.

3. frequently; continually.

hourly British  

/ ˈaʊəlɪ /

adjective

1. of, occurring, or done every hour

2. done in or measured by the hour

   we are paid an hourly rate

3. continual or frequent

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adverb

1. every hour

2. at any moment or time

Etymology

Origin of hourly

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at hour, -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hourly

Average hourly earnings for all employees were up 3.0 percent year-on-year, with wages continuing to lag behind stubbornly high inflation -- meaning most workers are seeing real wage losses.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Average hourly wages rose 3% in September from a year earlier, the slowest rate of increase in several years and lower than the 3.1% economists had predicted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Average hourly pay rose at a 3.1% rate in the 12 months that ended in August.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

Critics also say the hourly fees paid to arbitrators provide them with a financial incentive to rule in Kaiser’s favor so they will be selected for future cases.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

For most workers, the only time in the last three decades when the rise in hourly pay beat inflation was during the speculative bubble of the 1990s.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• annual
• intermittent
• monthly
• occasional
• recurrent
• recurring
• regular
• repeated
• routine
• seasonal
• sporadic
• weekly
• yearly