small hours
plural noun
: the early morning hours
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In fact, a good riddance vibe imbued much of the horn-honking, firework-lighting and air horn-sounding celebrations into the not-so-small hours on Monday in Rome. 
Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 12 July 2021 All across the city, as the 9 p.m. curfew part of the pandemic restrictions approaches, chairs and tables at bars and cafes that usually remain open until small hours get stacked and stored. New York Times, 8 June 2021 The quiet and warmth of small hours, bodies pressed upon each other as an eyelid flutters open. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 13 Mar. 2021 Most meteor showers are best after midnight, but this one is particularly elusive, peaking in the wee small hours just before dawn. Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 4 May 2020 Some formulas can be premixed and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours, which could save an exhausted mom from having to drowsily scoop powder in the small hours of the night. David Howard, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2020 There’s no dress code, no evening port briefings, and no early morning shore excursions because the bar is up and running until, as Frank Sinatra famously sang it, the wee small hours of the morning. Ellen Uzelac, chicagotribune.com, 26 Nov. 2019 Most belonged to poor farmers who had ridden into the city in the small hours, eager to give blood. The Economist, 10 Oct. 2019 Then the great plan came crashing down, with Bloomberg News reporting in the small hours of Thursday that Fiat had withdrawn its offer. latimes.com, 6 June 2019 See More
Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 12 July 2021 All across the city, as the 9 p.m. curfew part of the pandemic restrictions approaches, chairs and tables at bars and cafes that usually remain open until small hours get stacked and stored. New York Times, 8 June 2021 The quiet and warmth of small hours, bodies pressed upon each other as an eyelid flutters open. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 13 Mar. 2021 Most meteor showers are best after midnight, but this one is particularly elusive, peaking in the wee small hours just before dawn. Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 4 May 2020 Some formulas can be premixed and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours, which could save an exhausted mom from having to drowsily scoop powder in the small hours of the night. David Howard, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2020 There’s no dress code, no evening port briefings, and no early morning shore excursions because the bar is up and running until, as Frank Sinatra famously sang it, the wee small hours of the morning. Ellen Uzelac, chicagotribune.com, 26 Nov. 2019 Most belonged to poor farmers who had ridden into the city in the small hours, eager to give blood. The Economist, 10 Oct. 2019 Then the great plan came crashing down, with Bloomberg News reporting in the small hours of Thursday that Fiat had withdrawn its offer. latimes.com, 6 June 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1717, in the meaning defined above