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
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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
Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zero hours
Noun
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Gas is still cheaper than in several prior geopolitical crises and energy is a smaller share of people's expenses.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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Structural adjustment programs devastated social services through budget cuts and user fees, creating barriers for the poor to access basic health care and education, while the liberalization of mining sectors caused severe environmental degradation and health crises.—
Sven van Mourik,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Strikes have repeatedly hit areas near Qa’im, a town on the border with Syria, and near Rutba, a key crossroads on the Amman–Baghdad route and a strategic gateway toward Syria and Jordan.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
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Vance appears poised to stand at the crossroads of those varying interests.—
Gabe Kaminsky,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Too many department heads are cronies, not experienced experts.—
Hal Valderhaug,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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Peach heads for the Galaxy Gateway with Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), while Mario, Luigi and their new dino pal Yoshi (Donald Glover) hold things down with the ‘shrooms … for a while anyway.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zero hours.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zero%20hours. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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