Phrase guide

24-hour clock

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌtwɛntiˈfɔːɹˌaʊə ˈklɒk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌtwɛntiˈfɔɹˌaʊəɹ ˈklɔk/
  • General-American: [-ɾi-]
  • General-American, cot-caught-merger: /-ˈklɑk/
  • rhymes with -ɒk

1

noun

Meaning 1

A timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are treated as a single period rather than two sets of 12 hours, with the result that midnight is indicated as 00:00 (or sometimes 24:00), and the hours from 1:00 to 11:00 p.m. as 13:00 to 23:00.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: continental time, military time

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From 24 + hour + clock.

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نظام 24 ساعة — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Armenian: ժամանուններ (žamanunner) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Bengali: ২৪-ঘণ্টার ঘড়ি (24-ghonṭar ghoṛi) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Bulgarian: 24-часов часовник (24-časov časovnik) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Catalan: sistema horari de 24 hores — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Chinese Mandarin: 二十四小時制 /二十四小时制 (èrshísìxiǎoshízhì) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Chuvash: талӑк вӑхӑчӗ (talăk văh̬ăč̬ĕ) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Finnish: 24 tunnin kello — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • French: système horaire sur 24 heures — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Georgian: 24-საათიანი ფორმატი (24-saatiani pormaṭi) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Georgian: დროის 24-საათიანი ფორმატი (drois 24-saatiani pormaṭi) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Georgian: 24-საათიანი საათი (24-saatiani saati) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • German: 24-Stunden-Zählung — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • German: astronomische Stundenzählung — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Hebrew: שעון בן 24 שעות — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Hindi: 24 घंटे की घड़ी (24 ghaṇṭe kī ghaṛī) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Indonesian: sistem 24 jam — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Italian: sistema orario a 24 ore — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Japanese: 24時制 (nijiyuuyojisei) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Korean: 24시간제 (24siganje) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Macedonian: 24-часовен часовник (24-časoven časovnik) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Malay: jam 24 jam — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Norwegian Bokmål: 24-timersklokke — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Persian: ساعت بیستوچهار ساعته — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Polish: system dwudziestoczterogodzinny — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Russian: 24-часовой формат времени (24-časovoj format vremeni) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Spanish: sistema horario de 24 horas — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Swedish: 24-timmarsklocka — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Tagalog: 24-oras na orasan — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Tajik: шабонарӯз (šabonarüz) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Turkish: 24 saatlik zaman — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Tuvan: время суток (vremya sutok) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Ukrainian: 24-годинний формат часу (24-hodynnyj format času) — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period
  • Vietnamese: 24 giờ đồng hồ — timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are each treated as a single period