Phrase guide

small hours

noun · 2 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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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The very early morning, just after midnight, when most people are asleep.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the hours just after midnight

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hour, time of day

History

Etymology

From the small number used to identify such hours (e.g. 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock).

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: matinada — very early morning
  • Chinese Mandarin: 凌晨 (língchén) — very early morning
  • Dutch: kleine uurtjes — very early morning
  • Esperanto: la tre malfruaj horoj — very early morning
  • Finnish: aamuyö — very early morning
  • Finnish: pikkutunnit — very early morning
  • French: petites heures — very early morning
  • German: frühe Morgenstunden — very early morning
  • Indonesian: dini hari — very early morning
  • Polish: pogańska godzina — very early morning
  • Russian: за по́лночь (za pólnočʹ) — very early morning
  • Russian: ни свет ни заря́ (ni svet ni zarjá) — very early morning
  • Spanish: altas horas — very early morning
  • Sundanese: janari — very early morning
  • Swedish: småtimmarna — very early morning
  • Tagalog: des-oras — very early morning