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o'clock

/əˈklɑk/
/əʊˈklɒk/
IPA guide

Other forms: o'clocks

Use o'clock to make it clear that you're talking about a specific time of day. When the clock strikes seven, you might say, "Seven o'clock! Breakfast time!"

The adverb o'clock is one we tend to use without giving it much thought. Maybe you're more likely to say, "I'm sleepy, but it's only eight," and in this case the o'clock is implied. It's a shortened form of the now obsolete phrase of the clock, from the Middle English of the clokke. You might also use it when you're describing a direction by referring to an imaginary clock: "I saw the deer run by right there, at twelve o'clock."

Definitions of o'clock
  1. adverb
    according to the clock
    “it's three o'clock in Tokyo now”
Pronunciation
US
/əˈklɑk/
UK
/əʊˈklɒk/
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