o'clock
Americanadverb
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of, by, or according to the clock (used in specifying the hour of the day).
It is now 4 o'clock.
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according to a method for indicating relative position whereby a plane in space is considered to be numbered as a clock's face, with 12 o'clock considered as directly ahead in horizontal position or straight up in vertical position.
adverb
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used after a number from one to twelve to indicate the hour of the day or night
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used after a number to indicate direction or position relative to the observer, twelve o'clock being directly ahead or overhead and other positions being obtained by comparisons with a clock face
Etymology
Origin of o'clock
First recorded in 1710–20; from o', a reduced form of of; see o' + clock 1 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New York time, which made it No O’clock in the tiny upscale refugee camp created by the airline.
From New York Times • Nov. 13, 2019
Black Mirror writer and 10 O'clock Live presenter Charlie Brooker took home best entertainment personality.
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2012
They are two or three or four Six O'clock News leads rolled into a single piece.
From The Guardian • Aug. 21, 2011
For all its punk mould-breaking even Not the Nine O'clock News wasn't above a pun - "Oh, Ayatollah, Khomeni closer, and I will fall for your charms".
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2010
I know the channel and time by heart from watching the show every Saturday after the Six O’clock News Hour with Michael Markson.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
