hour */*/*/

UK [ˈaʊə(r)] / US [aʊr] noun
Word forms "hour":
singular hour plural hours

1)

a) [countable] a period of time that consists of 60 minutes. 30 minutes is usually called half an hour, 15 minutes can be called a quarter of an hour, and 45 minutes can be called three-quarters of an hour

every hour:

She checked on the children every hour.

an hour ago:

He left about an hour ago.

an hour of something:

After an hour of arguing, he agreed.

an hour's sleep/exercise/practice etc:

Why don't you get an hour's sleep?

for an hour:

I've been waiting for over an hour.

take an hour to do something:

This dish takes about an hour to cook.

it takes an hour to do something:

It takes nearly an hour to get there by bus.

in an hour/an hour's time:

I can be there in an hour.

b) used when you are talking about how much time you need to get somewhere

an hour along/past something:

An hour along the beach road are some shops.

an hour away (from something):

Brighton is only an hour away from here.

2) hours

[plural] a long time

I'm hungry and it's hours until dinner.

for hours (on end):

I lay awake for hours thinking about John.

3) hours

[plural] the time during which you do something such as work or study

My job is very flexible – I can fit my hours around my children.

long hours:

She's putting in long hours at the library.

school/working hours:

courses that take place outside school hours

4) [countable] a particular time in the day or night

You can call me at any hour of the day or night.

What are you doing out of bed at this hour (= so early or late)?

the hours of daylight/darkness:

They usually hunt during the hours of darkness.

at all hours:

You get cars coming down here at all hours.

5) [singular] a particular point in history or in someone's life or career

someone's/something's finest hour:

His finest hour came in 1982 when his film Gandhi won eight Oscars.

someone's/something's darkest hour (= worst time):

We have lived through our country's darkest hour.

in someone's hour of need (= at a time when they really need help):

No one had helped him in his hour of need.

6) the hour the time that is exactly one o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock etc

on the hour:

Trains for Edinburgh leave every hour on the hour.

past the hour:

The bus stops here at six minutes past the hour.

•

0900/1300 etc hours — spoken formal used especially by the police and military people for telling the time by the twenty-four hour clock. For example, 13 hundred hours is one o'clock in the afternoon.

all the hours (God sends) — British all the time available

We're two days behind with the orders, so everybody's been working all the hours God sends.

an/per hour — at a rate based on an hour of a particular activity

I earn £12 an hour.

The car was travelling at an estimated 85 miles per hour.

hour after/upon hour — a very long time

She spends hour after hour reading magazines.

keep regular/late etc hours — to perform the same activities every day at regular/late etc times, especially going to bed and getting out of bed

until/till all hours — British

spoken until very late at night

They were up talking until all hours.

- after hours

- by the hour

- of the hour

- out of hours

- strike the hour

- within the hour