on the hour

Idioms  

1. At every hour exactly; one o'clock, two o'clock, and so on. For example, The shuttle to New York departs on the hour. An extension of this idiom is every hour on the hour, meaning every time the clock's big hand reaches twelve, as in The bus passes by the house every hour on the hour.

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Example Sentences

Musk wants SpaceX to eventually launch a Starship every hour, on the hour, but the vehicle is still in its testing phase.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

The free event is expected to draw thousands to the slopes of Avenham Park, where the famous egg rolls will take place on the hour, every hour, from 11:00 to 16:00 BST on Easter Monday.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

As if to revive potentially flagging interest along the way, something big would hit the stage almost on the hour.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Lucas Paqueta was deadly with the chance to restore West Ham's lead, but Joel Veltman bundled in from a corner on the hour mark.

From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025

They crossed the main road and walked a short distance to the university quadrangle, where bells in a stone tower chimed on the hour.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri