hourly

1 of 2

adverb

hour·​ly ˈau̇(-ə)r-lē 

: 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

Adverb

• again and again
• constantly
• continually
• frequently
• much
• oft
• often
• oftentimes
• ofttimes
• over and over
• repeatedly

Examples of hourly in a Sentence

Adverb

she checks her phone for messages hourly

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The National Weather Service, NOAA weather stations, and Esri update the data hourly. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Jan. 2025

The system said buses would run hourly from two locations on San Vicente Boulevard, the southern boundary for the city's evacuations. —Raquel Coronell Uribe, NBC News, 8 Jan. 2025

Adjective

Under New York law, tipped workers earn a base hourly wage that, combined with tips, must meet or exceed the state’s minimum wage. —Nicole Ayala, New York Daily News, 28 Jan. 2025

Domestic policy changes have added to costs for U.K. business, with the government in October announcing increases to the U.K.’s minimum hourly wage and the National Insurance (NI) payroll tax paid by employers. —Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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