Definition of 'hour'
Word forms: plural hours
2. plural noun
3. singular noun
4. singular noun
5. countable noun
If you refer, for example, to someone's hour of need or hour of happiness, you are referring to the time in their life when they are or were experiencing that condition or feeling.
[literary]
6. plural noun
7. plural noun
9.
See after hours
10. See also after-hours
11.
See at all hours
12.
See the small hours
13.
See hour after hour
14.
See on the hour
15.
16.
See out of hours
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
hour
hour in British English
noun
1. ▶ Related adjectives: horal, horary
3. See the hour
5.
the period of time allowed for or used for something
the lunch hour
the hour of prayer
7. See the hour
9. astronomy
10. See one's hour
11. See take one's hour
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C13: from Old French hore, from Latin hōra, from Greek: season
hour in American English
noun
1.
a.
a division of time, one of the twenty-four parts of a day; sixty minutes
2.
a point or period of time
; specif.,
3.
the time of day as indicated by a timepiece or as reckoned from midnight to midnight, expressed in hours and minutes
arrival at 14:30 hours
4.
a measure of the distance usually covered in an hour
two hours from New York to Philadelphia by rail
7. US, Education
a class session of approximately one hour: each hour of a course per week is a unit of academic credit
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME < OFr hore < L hora < Gr hōra, hour, time, period, season < IE base *yē-, year, summer (< *ei-, to go) > yearhour in American English
(auᵊr, ˈauər)
noun
1.
a period of time equal to one twenty-fourth of a mean solar or civil day and equivalent to 60 minutes
He slept for an hour
2.
any specific one of these 24 periods, usually reckoned in two series of 12, one series from midnight
to noon and the second from noon to midnight, but sometimes reckoned in one series of 24, from midnight to midnight
He slept for the hour between 2 and 3 o'clock
The hour for the bombardment was between 1300 and 1400
3.
any specific time of day; the time indicated by a timepiece
What is the hour?
7.
the present time
the man of the hour
8. See hours
10. Astronomy
a unit of measure of right ascension representing 15°, or the twenty-fourth part of
a great circle
11.
a single period, as of class instruction or therapeutic consultation, usually lasting from 40 to 55 minutes
Compare clock-hour12. Also called: credit hour Education
one unit of academic credit, usually representing attendance at one scheduled period of instruction per week throughout a semester, quarter, or term
13. See the Hours
14. See one's hour
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
hourless adjective
Word origin
[1175–1225; ME (h)oure ‹ AF; OF (h)ore ‹ L hōra ‹ Gk ho᷇rā time, season]Examples of 'hour' in a sentence
hour
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
More idioms containing
hour
Trends of
hour
View usage for:
In other languages
hour
- American English: hour /ˈaʊər/
- Arabic: سَاعَةٌ
- Brazilian Portuguese: hora
- Chinese: 小时
- Croatian: sat
- Czech: hodina
- Danish: time
- Dutch: uur
- European Spanish: hora
- Finnish: tunti
- French: heure
- German: Stunde
- Greek: ώρα μονάδα χρόνου
- Italian: ora
- Japanese: 一時間
- Korean: 시간
- Norwegian: time
- Polish: godzina
- European Portuguese: hora
- Romanian: oră
- Russian: час
- Latin American Spanish: hora
- Swedish: timme
- Thai: ชั่วโมง
- Turkish: saat zaman
- Ukrainian: година
- Vietnamese: giờ
Browse alphabetically
hour
Source
Definition of hour from the Collins English Dictionary
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
spoke or spoken?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
spoke
spoken
She cried when she of Oliver.
soar or sore?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
soar
sore
The price of gas will .
hole or whole?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
hole
whole
I twisted my ankle in a rabbit .
muscles or mussels?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
muscles
mussels
Exercise will tone up your stomach .
cannon or canon?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
cannon
canon
One of the landed around three miles away.
Your score:
Word of the day
god game
a computer roleplaying game in which the player controls the destiny of one or more avatars within a large virtual environment
9 new words in Collins Dictionary
There is a scientific bent to 9 new words added to the Collins Online Dictionary, including three types of 'blot' tests, and words relating to electric vehicles.
Read more
Brush up on your Latin this Back to School
With the UK running a pilot study into teaching Latin in state schools, we look at common Latin phrases still in use today.
Read more
A little bird told me… 7 animal idioms
It’s new words time at Collins Dictionary and this month we see the addition of words like fingerling, net zero and emotional support animal. This month, there were a few animal-related additions.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
tic or tick?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
tic
tick
She developed a in her left eye.
bridal or bridle?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
bridal
bridle
The party was waiting at the house.
sauce or source?
Which version is correct?
hangar or hanger?
Which version is correct?
stake or steak?
Which version is correct?
Your score: