zero hours

noun

plural of zero hour
as in crises
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action we're at the zero hour, so someone has to make a decision

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of zero hours Nevertheless, this is an improvement on the zero hours that (many) men were doing 50 years ago. — Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zero hours
  1. crises
  2. crossroads
  3. heads
Noun
  • Latif, a hitman who’s also a father of three and a practicing Muslim, faces compounding crises when his wife dies, leaving him with a newborn who can’t tolerate formula.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
  • With a system immune to currency crises, stability was established in Ecuador, and while stability might not be everything, everything is nothing without stability.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of crises
Noun
  • Related Stories The growing muscle that YouTube flexes as the video crossroads of the world was a near-constant subject of conversation.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Critics see a once-lively multiethnic crossroads suffocated by Chinese authoritarianism.
    — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of crossroads
Noun
  • The left, of course, took this completely out of context because most things fly over their heads, and instead viewed it as Sweeney somehow demeaning women's sports.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • What is the probability of getting exactly three heads and three tails?
    — Dana Mackenzie, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of heads

Browse Nearby Words

zero hour
zero hours
zeroing (in on)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Zero hours.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zero%20hours. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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