The wee hours Meaning in English
expression
ˈðə/, /ðə/, /ði/ /ˈwi/ /ˈaʊɝz/, /ˈaʊɹz
thuh WEE OW-erz
ðə, ði/ /wˈiː/ /ˈaʊəz
thuh WEE OW-uhz
Definition
The very early hours of the morning, usually after midnight and before sunrise.
Usage & Nuances
Informal, often used to describe activities happening very late at night or very early in the morning. Similar to 'early hours', more common in speech. Used when people stay up late or wake up extremely early.
Spanish: la madrugada - las primeras horas de la mañanaPortuguese (BR): alta madrugada - primeiras horas da manhãPortuguese (PT): madrugada - primeiras horas da manhãChinese (Simplified): 凌晨 - 清晨Chinese (Traditional): 凌晨 - 清晨Hindi: भोर के घंटे - सुबह के शुरुआती घंटेArabic: ساعات الفجر الأولى - الصباح الباكرBengali: ভোররাত - সকালে খুব ভোরRussian: предрассветные часы - ранние утренние часыJapanese: 未明 - 明け方の早い時間Vietnamese: rạng sáng - những giờ đầu của buổi sángKorean: 이른 새벽 - 아침 이른 시간Turkish: sabahın ilk saatleri - gecenin geç saatleriUrdu: صبح کے ابتدائی اوقات - سحر کے اوقاتIndonesian: dini hari - pagi buta
Example Sentences
We finished our work in the wee hours of the morning.
basic
She often studies until the wee hours.
basic
Many people are asleep during the wee hours.
basic
We talked and laughed until the wee hours last night.
natural
I couldn't sleep and ended up scrolling on my phone into the wee hours.
natural
By the wee hours, the streets were empty and silent.
natural