English Reference
adjective · adverb · noun

hourly

adj. · adv. · n.
US /ˈaʊɹɫi/ UK /ˈaʊəli/ hourly

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

    adj.happening or done once every hour.

    adj.occurring, performed, or appearing at intervals of sixty minutes.

    Simple

    The hotel provides an hourly shuttle bus to the airport for guests.

    In context

    The weather station provides hourly updates on wind speed and atmospheric pressure to help pilots navigate the storm front.

  2. 02 B1 Intermediate

    adj.describing a job where you are paid for each hour you work, rather than a fixed monthly salary.

    adj.relating to a wage or employment status where compensation is calculated based on hours worked.

    Simple

    Many students look for hourly work during the summer holidays.

    In context

    The company transitioned several administrative roles from salaried positions to hourly contracts to better manage fluctuating seasonal demand.

    unsalaried
  3. 03 B1 Intermediate

    adv.happening at intervals of one hour.

    adv.at intervals of an hour; frequently used to describe repeated actions or measurements.

    Simple

    The nurse checked the patient's temperature hourly throughout the night.

    In context

    The automated system backs up the database hourly to ensure that no more than sixty minutes of data can be lost in a crash.

  4. 04 B2 Upper Intermediate American English

    n.a person who is paid for each hour they work.

    n.an employee whose compensation is based on an hourly rate rather than a fixed salary.

    Simple

    The manager met with the hourlies to discuss the new weekend schedule.

    In context

    The union representative argued that the hourlies deserved a higher overtime premium given the hazardous conditions of the factory floor.

    Usage

    Usually used in the plural to refer to a group of workers.

    wage earner

From hour + -ly.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Frequent
Updated