hourly

American  

[ouuhr-lee, ou-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 wages for permanent employees rose 3% on a year earlier, slowing from a 3.7% advance in June and softer than the 3.4% rise economists expected.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

For instance, jobs have only risen at an average of 21,000 in the past three months and hourly earnings are rising at the weakest pace since May 2021.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Jerry Brown signed into law a first-in-the-nation plan to gradually boost the state’s hourly minimum wage to $15 an hour, then adjust the wage annually based on inflation starting in 2024.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

From 31 July hourly parking charges will increase, such as the cost of three hours of parking will rise from £4 to £6 and the daily rate will grow from £10 to £18.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

“And after school,” Mr. Nielsen says, “you will be expected to help in the store. We’ll pay you an hourly wage, of course. You know about the store, Dorothy, do you not?”

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

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