hourly

1 of 2

adverb

hour·​ly ˈau̇(-ə)r-lē How to pronounce hourly (audio)
Synonyms of hourlynext
: at or during every hour
also : frequently, continually

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

Synonyms of hourly

Relevance

Adverb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
While almost every county in the state has a public defender office, most post-conviction cases are handled by private lawyers who are paid hourly, by the case or by the year and work with little to no supervision. — Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026 Walmart also noted that the average hourly starting wage is $16. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
Adjective
Researchers estimated that the tool closed roughly a third of the hourly pay gap. — Zoë Schiffer, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026 Lowe’s operates over 1,700 stores and has about 300,000 workers, mostly hourly. — Charlotte Observer, 28 Oct. 2026 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

Rhymes for hourly

See All Rhymes for hourly

Browse Nearby Words

hour-long
hourly
hourly-rated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hourly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hourly. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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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
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