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

There is a two-hour minimum on all rentals and hourly rates depend on the room size and day of the week.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

"The breakthrough was learning how to turn that time-lapse into hourly maps of currents by tracking how temperature patterns bend, stretch and move from one hour to the next."

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

"That is why compensation now reflects outcomes, measurable commercial impact, and value creation, rather than simply salary plus bonus. AI changes time and speed, so there's little future in the hourly rate," says Skellett.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Adjusted for inflation, their hourly earnings inched up only 0.1% in March from a year earlier, slipping below the growth rate for all workers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

"I'm getting sick of hourly press conferences," Annie whispered back.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

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