2
general::
noun period of sixty minutes ADJ. solid I slept for eight solid hours. VERB + HOUR take It takes two hours to get to London. | spend | last The performance lasted three hours. | gain, lose You gain five hours when you fly from New York to London. HOUR + VERB go by, pass An hour passed and she still hadn't arrived. PREP. by the ~ They're paid by the hour. | for an ~ She worked for three hours. | in/within an ~ I should be back within a couple of hours. | over/under an ~ He's been gone for over an hour. | per ~ Top speed is 120 miles per hour. | within the ~ We hope to be there within the hour (= in less than an hour). | ~ of There are still two hours of daylight left. PHRASES half an hour, hour after hour, an hour's time, with every passing hour She grew more worried with every passing hour.MEASURE the hour: time when a new hour starts VERB + HOUR chime, strike The clock struck the hour. PREP. on the ~ Buses leave every hour on the hour. | past the ~ ten minutes past the hour | to the ~ ten minutes to the hour time when you do a particular activity ADJ. lunch | peak, rush rush-hour traffic VERB + HOUR spend I spent my lunch hour shopping. PREP. ~ of an hour of rest hours: time when sb is working/a shop is open ADJ. office, opening, working | licensing, visiting Britain's licensing hours (= when pubs are allowed to open) the hospital's visiting hours | flexible | long | regular VERB + HOUR work She works very long hours. | keep He keeps regular hours. PREP. after ~ He spends a lot of time in his office after hours. | out of ~ Doctors often have to work out of hours. time when sth happens ADJ. darkest, finest This was often thought of as the country's finest hour. | antisocial, unearthly, ungodly, unsocial I apologize for phoning you at this ungodly hour. HOUR + VERB come The hour had come for us to leave. PREP. between the ~s of The office is closed between the hours of twelve and two. | ~ of the hours of darkness PHRASES your hour of need She helped me in my hour of need.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
hour
phrases
half an hour
( also a half hour ) (= thirty minutes )
• I’ll meet you in half an hour.
(a) quarter of an hour
(= fifteen minutes )
• Mum was gone for about a quarter of an hour.
three quarters of an hour
(= forty-five minutes )
• The journey takes three quarters of an hour.
miles/kilometres an hour
(= used in speeds )
• The speed limit is 65 miles an hour.
£10/$7 etc an hour
(= used to say how much someone is paid or how much you pay to use something )
• The babysitter charges £5 an hour.
an hour’s/six hours' etc work
(= work that it took you an hour/six hours etc to do )
• I did two hours’ work before breakfast.
an hour’s walk/drive etc
• It’s about an hour’s drive away.
adverbs
an hour/three hours etc later
• An hour later she arrived home.
an hour/three hours etc earlier/before
• I had just seen him a few hours earlier.
an hour/three hours etc ago
• He left an hour ago.
verbs
take an/... hour
(= something needs an hour to do )
• It took about three hours to paint the whole room.
spend an hour
• I spent an hour reading.
last (for) an hour
• The meeting lasted almost two hours.
pay/charge by the hour
(= pay or charge someone according to the number of hours it takes to do something )
• You can pay by the hour to hire a boat.
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