hour 
/ˈawɚ/ noun
plural hours /ˈawɚ/ noun 1 [count] : one of the 24 equal parts of a day : 60 minutes
▪ She wasn't supposed to eat for six hours before the operation. ▪ You'll be paid by the hour for/on this job. ▪ The job pays ten dollars an hour. ▪ We've been waiting (for) an hour. ▪ She exercises for a full/good/solid hour every day. ▪ He practiced the piano for hours at a time. = He spent hours practicing the piano. ▪ She was half an hour late. ▪ They arrived a few hours later. ▪ A project like that can take hours (to finish). ▪ The project required long/endless hours of work. ▪ He spent all his waking hours [=all of the hours in the day that he was awake] working on the project. ▪ (Brit) She has been working all the hours God sends. [=she has been working very long hours] ▪ He's counting the hours until his retirement. [=he is waiting eagerly for his retirement] ▪ We talked for hours and hours. = We talked for hours on end. = We talked for many hours. ▪ She grew more nervous with each passing hour. [=as each hour passed] ▪ The mood changed from hour to hour. — see also half hour, quarter hour 2 [count] a : the time shown on a clock or watch
▪ The hour [=time] is half past ten. [=10:30] ▪ We arrived just as the clock struck the hour. [=we arrived at exactly 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, etc.] ▪ (US) The program is scheduled to start at the top of the hour. [=at the beginning of the hour; at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, etc.] ▪ The next train will leave on the hour. [=at the beginning of the next hour] ▪ Trains leave the station every hour on the hour. [=at the beginning of each hour; at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, etc.] ▪ Trains leave the station every hour at ten minutes before the hour. [=trains leave at 12:50 (10 minutes to one), 1:50 (ten minutes to two), etc.] ▪ Trains leave every hour at ten minutes past the hour. = (chiefly US) Trains leave every hour at ten minutes after the hour. [=trains leave at 1:10, 2:10, etc.]
b : a particular time during the day
▪ a late hour ▪ What are you doing here at this hour? [=why are you here at such a late hour?] ▪ at the midnight hour [=at midnight] ▪ These animals are most active in the hour just before sunrise. ▪ You can call me at any hour of the day or night. ▪ People began arriving in the early hours of the morning. ▪ The park is open during daylight hours. ▪ We arrived at the appointed hour. [=we arrived at the time that had been agreed upon] ▪ They serve breakfast at all hours. = They serve breakfast at any hour. [=at any time of day] ▪ These animals are active at all hours of the day. [=throughout the day] ▪ They were up till/until all hours. [=they were up very late] ▪ The store is open twenty-four hours a day. [=the store is open all day and night] ◊The wee/small/early hours are the very early hours of the morning.
▪ They studied into the wee hours. ▪ The negotiations lasted into the small hours (of the morning). 3 a [count] : the time of a specified activity
▪ She likes to go for a walk during her lunch hour. ▪ the breakfast/dinner hour ▪ the cocktail hour — see also eleventh hour, happy hour, rush hour, zero hour
b [count] : a particular time or period of time
▪ The hour of reckoning had come. [=the moment of truth had come; the time when something would be decided had come] ▪ They helped us in our hour of need. [=the time when we were most in need of help] ◊The man/woman (etc.) of the hour is a person who is being honored or praised or who is enjoying success at a particular time.
▪ The success of his latest film has made him the man of the hour in Hollywood. ◊Someone's or something's darkest hour is a time of great trouble or danger.
▪ They helped us in our darkest hour. ◊Someone's or something's finest hour is a time of great success, courage, or heroism.
▪ The troops triumphed in our country's finest hour.
c hours [plural] : a time scheduled or used for a particular purpose or activity
▪ School hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ▪ She works regular/normal hours. [=she works a regular schedule; she works during the day on Monday through Friday] ▪ She has been working longer hours. [=she has been working for more hours than usual each day] ▪ Visiting hours on this hospital ward are between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. ▪ Personal phone calls are not allowed during business/office hours. ▪ He enjoys reading and relaxing in his off hours. [=the time when he is not working] ▪ We keep early hours out here in the country. [=we go to bed early] ▪ She has been keeping late hours at the office. [=she has been working late] 4 [count] : the distance that can be traveled in an hour
▪ She lives two hours away. ▪ Her house is two hours north of here. ▪ Her house is two hours' drive from here. = Her house is a two-hour drive from here. 5 hours [plural] — used to refer to time when time is being measured on a 24-hour clock ▪ In the military, 4:00 p.m. is called 1600 hours.
▪ She wasn't supposed to eat for six hours before the operation. ▪ You'll be paid by the hour for/on this job. ▪ The job pays ten dollars an hour. ▪ We've been waiting (for) an hour. ▪ She exercises for a full/good/solid hour every day. ▪ He practiced the piano for hours at a time. = He spent hours practicing the piano. ▪ She was half an hour late. ▪ They arrived a few hours later. ▪ A project like that can take hours (to finish). ▪ The project required long/endless hours of work. ▪ He spent all his waking hours [=all of the hours in the day that he was awake] working on the project. ▪ (Brit) She has been working all the hours God sends. [=she has been working very long hours] ▪ He's counting the hours until his retirement. [=he is waiting eagerly for his retirement] ▪ We talked for hours and hours. = We talked for hours on end. = We talked for many hours. ▪ She grew more nervous with each passing hour. [=as each hour passed] ▪ The mood changed from hour to hour. — see also half hour, quarter hour
▪ The hour [=time] is half past ten. [=10:30] ▪ We arrived just as the clock struck the hour. [=we arrived at exactly 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, etc.] ▪ (US) The program is scheduled to start at the top of the hour. [=at the beginning of the hour; at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, etc.] ▪ The next train will leave on the hour. [=at the beginning of the next hour] ▪ Trains leave the station every hour on the hour. [=at the beginning of each hour; at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, etc.] ▪ Trains leave the station every hour at ten minutes before the hour. [=trains leave at 12:50 (10 minutes to one), 1:50 (ten minutes to two), etc.] ▪ Trains leave every hour at ten minutes past the hour. = (chiefly US) Trains leave every hour at ten minutes after the hour. [=trains leave at 1:10, 2:10, etc.]
b : a particular time during the day
▪ a late hour ▪ What are you doing here at this hour? [=why are you here at such a late hour?] ▪ at the midnight hour [=at midnight] ▪ These animals are most active in the hour just before sunrise. ▪ You can call me at any hour of the day or night. ▪ People began arriving in the early hours of the morning. ▪ The park is open during daylight hours. ▪ We arrived at the appointed hour. [=we arrived at the time that had been agreed upon] ▪ They serve breakfast at all hours. = They serve breakfast at any hour. [=at any time of day] ▪ These animals are active at all hours of the day. [=throughout the day] ▪ They were up till/until all hours. [=they were up very late] ▪ The store is open twenty-four hours a day. [=the store is open all day and night] ◊The wee/small/early hours are the very early hours of the morning.
▪ They studied into the wee hours. ▪ The negotiations lasted into the small hours (of the morning).
▪ She likes to go for a walk during her lunch hour. ▪ the breakfast/dinner hour ▪ the cocktail hour — see also eleventh hour, happy hour, rush hour, zero hour
b [count] : a particular time or period of time
▪ The hour of reckoning had come. [=the moment of truth had come; the time when something would be decided had come] ▪ They helped us in our hour of need. [=the time when we were most in need of help] ◊The man/woman (etc.) of the hour is a person who is being honored or praised or who is enjoying success at a particular time.
▪ The success of his latest film has made him the man of the hour in Hollywood. ◊Someone's or something's darkest hour is a time of great trouble or danger.
▪ They helped us in our darkest hour. ◊Someone's or something's finest hour is a time of great success, courage, or heroism.
▪ The troops triumphed in our country's finest hour.
c hours [plural] : a time scheduled or used for a particular purpose or activity
▪ School hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ▪ She works regular/normal hours. [=she works a regular schedule; she works during the day on Monday through Friday] ▪ She has been working longer hours. [=she has been working for more hours than usual each day] ▪ Visiting hours on this hospital ward are between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. ▪ Personal phone calls are not allowed during business/office hours. ▪ He enjoys reading and relaxing in his off hours. [=the time when he is not working] ▪ We keep early hours out here in the country. [=we go to bed early] ▪ She has been keeping late hours at the office. [=she has been working late]
▪ She lives two hours away. ▪ Her house is two hours north of here. ▪ Her house is two hours' drive from here. = Her house is a two-hour drive from here.
after hours or Brit out of hours
: after the regular hours of work or operation
▪ The professor gave out his phone number so students could reach him after hours.
▪ The professor gave out his phone number so students could reach him after hours.
an/per hour
— used in measurements that describe the speed of something ▪ The speed limit is 65 miles per hour. ▪ a fastball thrown at 88 miles an hour
