hourly

1 of 2

adverb

hour·​ly ˈau̇(-ə)r-lē How to pronounce hourly (audio)
: at or during every hour

hourly

2 of 2

adjective

1
a
: occurring hour by hour
hourly bus service
b
: frequent, continual
in hourly expectation of the rain's stopping
2
: computed in terms of an hour
an hourly wage
3
: paid by the hour
hourly workers

Examples of hourly in a Sentence

Adverb she checks her phone for messages hourly
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Throughout the day, guests can enjoy 40-minute skating sessions, offered hourly, turning the mall into a winter wonderland — regardless of the summer season. Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 2 June 2025 Items in these bins are sold by the pound, and new bins are added hourly. Nwa Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 27 May 2025
Adjective
But the odds of that decreased following the report’s release, which also noted that average hourly wages grew at a 3.9% annual pace, 0.2 percentage point more than expected. Kevin Breuninger,jeff Cox, CNBC, 6 June 2025 Average hourly wages rose 0.4% from April and 3.9% from a year earlier — a bit higher than forecast. Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for hourly

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hourly was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hourly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hourly. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

hourly

adjective
hour·​ly
ˈau̇(ə)r-lē
1
: occurring every hour
hourly bus service
2
: figured in terms of one hour
hourly wages
hourly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on hourly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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