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hour

n.
US //ˈaʊɝ// UK //ˈaʊə// hour
  1. 1 sixty minutes (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a period of time that lasts sixty minutes.

    a unit of time equal to one twenty-fourth of a day, consisting of sixty minutes.

    Example

    The flight to Paris takes about one hour from London.

    Example

    The researchers monitored the chemical reaction for exactly one hour to ensure the data remained consistent across all test groups.
    • sixty minutes
    Pitfall
    I will see you in a hour.
    I will see you in an hour.

    Even though 'hour' starts with the consonant 'h', the 'h' is silent. Because it sounds like it starts with a vowel, you must use 'an'.

  2. 2 time of day (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a specific point in time, often used when telling the time.

    a specific point in time or a particular time of day.

    Example

    At this hour of the night, most of the shops are closed.

    Example

    The city is remarkably quiet at this early hour, before the morning commuters begin to fill the streets.
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  1. 3 working time (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the time you spend at your job or the times when a business is open.

    the fixed or contractual periods of time dedicated to labor or business operations.

    Example

    My father works long hours at the hospital during the week.

    Example

    The company recently revised its opening hours to accommodate customers who prefer to shop after finishing their own work day.

    Usage

    Usually used in the plural form 'hours'.
  2. 4 military time (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Military

    a way of telling time using twenty-four hours, often used by the police or army.

    a system of timekeeping based on a twenty-four-hour clock, typically used in military or technical contexts.

    Example

    The meeting is scheduled for fourteen-hundred hours.

    Example

    The extraction team was ordered to reach the coordinates by zero-six-hundred hours to avoid detection by enemy patrols.

    Usage

    Usually follows a four-digit number and is pronounced as 'hours'.
    • twenty four hour clock
  3. 5 a distance (n.)
    B1 Intermediate American English

    the distance you can travel in sixty minutes.

    a measure of distance expressed by the time required to travel it at a standard speed.

    Example

    The nearest big city is about two hours away by car.

    Example

    Living three hours from the coast makes spontaneous beach trips difficult during the busy summer season.

  4. 6 a significant moment (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    a very important time or a special moment in someone's life.

    a significant or critical point in time, often associated with a particular event or person.

    Example

    This was her finest hour, when she finally won the gold medal.

    Example

    In the nation's darkest hour, the leader gave a speech that restored hope to millions of citizens.
Origin

From Middle English houre, hour, oure, from Old French houre, from Latin hōra (“hour”), from Ancient Greek ὥρα (hṓra, “any time or period, whether of the year, month, or day”), from Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ (“year, season”). Akin to Old English ġēar (“year”). Doublet of hora and year. Compare horary. Partly displaced native Old English tīd (“time, hour”), whence Modern English tide.

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