Standard Lemma guide

machine-hour

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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The amount of work that can be done by one machine in one hour; a billable hour for one machine. (Said of, for example, a piece of heavy equipment or a machine tool.)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • With the right carbide tooling and toolpath programming, you're not looking at too many machine-hours for a job like this. If you're going to putz around with cheaper tooling and guesstimated feedrates, then you'll pay for those in more machine-hours.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Compound of machine + hour, although, as with any such unit of measure (e.g., ton-miles, newton metres), the mathematical relationship of multiplication is simultaneously involved: X machines working during Y hours = X × Y = Z machine-hours.