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

See Examples For:

on the hour

When they met in the autumn, in the midst of an England winning streak, Fiji had been within three points on the hour mark, before fading to a 38-18 loss.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

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

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

The fury was at its height on the hour when Arsenal keeper David Raya made a save from Georginio Rutter down to his right then slumped to the ground holding his shoulder, requiring lengthy treatment.

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026

My watch beeps on the hour, signaling that my time is up.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth