Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adv. Of or according to the clock: three o'clock.
- adv. According to an imaginary clock dial with the observer at the center and 12 o'clock considered as straight ahead in horizontal position or straight up in vertical position. Used to indicate relative position: enemy planes at 10 o'clock.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. See clock.
Wiktionary
- adv. 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.
- adv. humorous In conjunction with a term representing an action or event that occurs daily, indicates the time that said action or event occurs, or first occurs.
- adv. In conjunction with a numeral, indicates the direction, relative to the speaker, corresponding to the direction the hour hand is pointing at the time corresponding to the numeral, with twelve representing directly ahead and three being to the right.
- adv. Used to indicate direction on a plane, often vertical with 12 o'clock being straight up, representing a projection of the speaker’s field of vision.
WordNet 3.0
- adv. according to the clock
Etymologies
- Shortened form of “of the clock” or “on the clock”; that is, “according to the clock”. (Wiktionary)
- Short for of the clock. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“It must be -- eight o'clock' -- said the gasping voice -- '_eight o'clock_;' and the tone became a whisper, as though the idea thus half involuntarily revealed had been drawn jealously back into the strongholds of consciousness.”
“It must be -- eight o'clock,' said the gasping voice -- '_eight o'clock_;' and the tone became a whisper, as though the idea thus half involuntarily revealed had been drawn jealously back into the strongholds of consciousness.”
“II. ii.324 (244,8) [Eleven o'clock] Ford should rather have said _ten o'clock_: the time was between ten and eleven; and his impatient suspicion was not likely to stay beyond the time.”
“Hence it became necessary to distinguish one from the other _by name_, and thus the notation from midnight gave rise, as I have remarked in one of my papers on Chaucer, to the English idiomatic phrase "of the clock;" or the reckoning of the clock, commencing at midnight, as distinguished from Roman equinoctial hours, commencing at six o'clock A.M. This was what Ben Jonson was meaning by attainment of majority at _six o'clock_, and not, as PROFESSOR DE M.RGAN supposes, "probably a certain sunrise.”
“At 15: 04 my flight was attacked by three MiGs, two from the '10 o'clock' and one from the ´6 o'clock´.”
“It's 2 o'clock in the morning and I am in a club full of people who seem to be dancing in rapture.”
The Huffington Post: Tijana Milosevic: Self-Expression Through House Dance Culture
“My typical weekend might involve a wander down the more interesting aisles in the supermarket, heading home to cook something novel, going out to meet up with friends at pub o'clock, and later, perhaps catching a film that does not involve moralising fish, lions or wizards.”
“It turns out they've grown five o'clock stubble, bought everything in Aubin and Wills and are now are now making Radio 2 electro-flop.”
“I'd eat a meal at about 11 o'clock and one about 8 o'clock here.”
“It's not yet 9 o'clock, and she's been cleaning up since dawn in her sundress, which is the color of shamrocks, and her big silver jewelry.”
The Huffington Post: Nancy Ruhling: Astoria Characters: The Cheers Leader
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘o'clock’.
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End in -ock
Inspired by fbharjo (see spitchcock).
spitchcock, hillock, willock, peacock, pajock, penock, yapock, sycock, bittock, bawcock, burrock, cammock and 168 more...
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♥
ambrosia, inamorata, gossamer, lily-white, hummingbird, roucoulement, poppy, daisy, calypso, lunula, lamb, dove and 1526 more...
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and ...
Words that, as I see it, have some fond connection to the Alice stories through their creation or particular use by Lewis Carroll. I mean to tie them all together with contexty comments!
alice, daisy-chain, white rabbit, waistcoat-pocket, rabbit-hole, marmalade, antipathy, antipode, curtsey, dinah, tea-time, rat-hole and 232 more...
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Buttery
Words that make me feel cozy
Noodle, Nugget, Butter, Soft, Snug, Feather, Socks, Knit, Mug, Curl, Billow, Lounge and 315 more...
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katiad's Words
exquisite, obnoxious, noxious, extravaganza, whirlwind, whirling, wild, spinster, existential, chaos, zephyr, blasphemy and 310 more...
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Aequoria's list
affect, deleterious, nuance, pliant, verbatim, pertinent, latter, municipality, provincial, voyeuristic, circumlocution, wane and 798 more...
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Basic English Vocabulary
Very basic words for ESL students.
contemplate, container, consumer, consultant, consensus, conscious, conscience, connection, confusion, confront, conflict, confident and 4334 more...
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Beer Words
Words having to do with beer.
Tweets
Looking for tweets for o'clock.
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