o'clock
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
o'clock
- /əˈklɒk/ UK
- /əʊˈklɒk/ UK
- /əˈklɑk/ US
- /oʊˈklɑk/ US
Rhymes with -ɒk
Where it comes from
Shortened form of "of the clock", from Middle English of the clokke [from late 14th c.].
adverb a clock
- In conjunction with a numeral, indicates the time within a twelve-hour period (midnight to noon or noon to midnight), specifically the time when the hour hand of a clock points precisely to the symbol or marking corresponding to the designated numeral, i.e., at the hour. We are expected to be there at six o'clock in the morning!
- Used to indicate that it is time to do a specific action, or time for a specific action to occur. I'm feeling peckish; I think it must be nearly dinner o'clock.
- In conjunction with a numeral, indicates the direction, relative to the speaker or a vehicle, especially an aircraft, corresponding to the direction the hour hand is pointing at the time corresponding to the numeral, with twelve representing directly ahead on a horizontal plane, or directly up on a vertical plane, and three being to the right on either. It's at nine o'clock about two feet in from the edge of the branch. You need to know your "o'clocks" (nondigital) to spot birds.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: time, hour, alarm, atomic, back, chung, count, counting, day, hours, rear, service, timed, watch, around, beat
Translations
Every language
adv indication of time (the translations below are of "one o’clock")
| Español | una en punto |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 한시 hansi |
| 日本語 | 一時 ichiji |
| 中文 | 一點鐘 /一点钟 yī diǎnzhōng |
| हिन्दी | एक बजा ek bajā |
| Português | uma hora, uma em ponto (hora) |
| Français | une heure |
| Deutsch | ein Uhr |
| Italiano | l'una, l'una in punto, l'una esatta |
| Ελληνικά | μία η ώρα mía i óra |
| Română | ora unu |
| Русский | час čas |
| Tiếng Việt | một giờ |
| العربية | السَّاعَة الْوَاحِدَة as-sāʕa al-wāḥida |
| עברית | הַשָּׁעָה אַחַת hasha'á akhát |
adv the translations below are of "at one o’clock"
| Español | a la una, a la una en punto |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 한시에 hansi-e |
| 日本語 | 一時に ichiji ni |
| 中文 | 一點鐘 /一点钟 yī diǎnzhōng |
| हिन्दी | एक बजे ek baje |
| Português | à uma (hora) |
| Français | à une heure |
| Deutsch | um 1 Uhr, um eins |
| Italiano | l'una in punto, l'una esatta, all'una |
| Ελληνικά | στις μία η ώρα stis mía i óra |
| Română | la ora unu |
| Русский | в час v čas |
| العربية | السَّاعَة الْوَاحِدَة as-sāʕa al-wāḥida |
Talk about this word "o'clock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/o'clock. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. o'clock. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/o'clock "o'clock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/o'clock.Cite this
@misc{o_clock_2026,
title = {o'clock},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/o'clock},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}