- hour
- noun1 period of sixty minutesADJECTIVE▪ full, solid▪
I slept for eight solid hours.
▪ contact, credit (AmE) (both education)▪the number of contact hours per week
VERB + HOUR▪ take▪It takes two hours to get to Vancouver.
▪ spend▪ waste▪ last▪The performance lasted three hours.
▪ gain, lose▪You lose five hours when you fly from New York to London.
HOUR + VERB▪ go by, pass▪An hour passed and she still hadn't arrived.
PREPOSITION▪ by the hour▪They're paid by the hour.
▪ for an hour▪She worked for three hours.
▪ in an hour, within an hour▪I should be back within a couple of hours.
▪ over an hour, under an hour▪He's been gone for over an hour.
▪ per hour▪Top speed is 120 miles per hour.
▪ within the hour▪We hope to be there within the hour (= in less than an hour).
▪ hour of▪There are still two hours of daylight left.
PHRASES▪ half an hour▪ hour after hour▪ in an hour's time (esp. BrE)▪ with every passing hour▪She grew more worried with every passing hour.
2 the hour time when a new hour startsVERB + THE HOUR▪ chime, strike▪The clock struck the hour.
PREPOSITION▪ on the hour▪Buses leave every hour on the hour.
▪ past the hour▪ten minutes past the hour
▪ to the hour (esp. BrE)▪ten minutes to the hour
3 time when you do a particular activityADJECTIVE▪ lunch▪ peak, rush▪rush-hour traffic
▪ happy (= time in the early evening when a bar sells alcoholic drinks at lower prices than usual)VERB + HOUR▪ spend▪I spent my lunch hour shopping.
PREPOSITION▪ hour of▪an hour of rest
4 hours time when sb is working/a business is openADJECTIVE▪ office, opening, visiting, working▪the hospital's visiting hours
▪ flexible▪ long▪ regular▪ licensing (BrE)▪Britain's licensing hours (= when pubs are allowed to open)
VERB + HOURS▪ work▪She works very long hours.
▪ keep▪He keeps regular hours.
PREPOSITION▪ after hour▪He spends a lot of time in his office after hours.
▪ out of hour (esp. BrE)▪Doctors often have to work out of hours.
5 time when sth happensADJECTIVE▪ darkest, finest▪The war years were often thought of as the country's finest hour.
▪ antisocial (esp. BrE), unearthly (esp. BrE), ungodly, unsocial (esp. BrE)▪I apologize for calling you at this ungodly hour.
▪Bakers have to work unsocial hours.
▪ early, early-morning (esp. AmE), small, wee small hours (= the hours after midnight)▪The party continued well into the early hours.
▪ late▪ waking▪She spends every waking hour at the gym.
HOUR + VERB▪ come▪The hour had come for us to leave.
PREPOSITION▪ between the hours of▪The office is closed between the hours of twelve and two.
▪ hour of▪the hours of darkness
PHRASES▪ your hour of need▪She helped me in my hour of need.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
