1
: a time or office for daily liturgical devotion
especially
: canonical hour
2
: the 24th part of a day : 60 minutes
3
a
: the time of day reckoned in two 12-hour periods
b
hours plural
: the time reckoned in one 24-hour period from midnight to midnight using a 4-digit number of which the first two digits indicate the hour and the last two digits indicate the minute
in the military 4:30 p.m. is called 1630 hours
4
a
: a customary or particular time
lunch hour
in our hour of need
b
hours plural
: time of going to bed
keeps late hours
also
: time of working
banker's hours
5
: an angular unit of right ascension equal to 15 degrees measured along the celestial equator
6
: the work done or distance traveled at normal rate in an hour
the city was two hours away
7
a
: a class session
b
Examples of hour in a Sentence
She wasn't supposed to eat for six hours before the operation.
You'll be paid by the hour for this job.
The job pays ten dollars an hour.
She exercises for a full hour every day.
She was half an hour late.
They arrived a few hours later.
The project required long hours of work.
The mood changed from hour to hour.
These animals are most active in the hour just before sunrise.
You can call me at any hour of the day or night.
Recent Examples on the Web
The duplication of effort, the ridiculous hours, and the endless inefficiencies were invisible.
—
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 10 Nov. 2024
Stephen’s son raped Catherine over and over again for three and a half hours.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Ether, the native token of the Ethereum blockchain, hovered around $2,900, while Cardano reached $0.44—marking an impressive 10% increase in the past 24 hours.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
On average, participants spent seven hours a day sleeping, 10 hours in sedentary behaviors such as sitting, three hours standing, one hour slow-walking, one hour fast-walking and 16 minutes in vigorous exercise.
—Linda Carroll, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hour 
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Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 10 Nov. 2024
Stephen’s son raped Catherine over and over again for three and a half hours.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Ether, the native token of the Ethereum blockchain, hovered around $2,900, while Cardano reached $0.44—marking an impressive 10% increase in the past 24 hours.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
On average, participants spent seven hours a day sleeping, 10 hours in sedentary behaviors such as sitting, three hours standing, one hour slow-walking, one hour fast-walking and 16 minutes in vigorous exercise.
—Linda Carroll, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hour
Dictionary Entries Near hour
Cite this Entry
“Hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hour. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hour
noun1
: a time for or rite of religious worship
2
: one of the 24 divisions of a day : 60 minutes
3
: the time of day
the hour is now 10:00 a.m.
4
: a fixed or particular time
lunch hour
an hour of need
5
: the distance traveled in an hour
lives two hours away
6
: a class session
I have math this hour
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