a designated hour

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a designated hour" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a specific time that has been officially assigned for an event or activity. Example: "The meeting will take place at a designated hour to ensure all participants are available."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

My suggestions: Have the sirens go off at a designated hour.

The New York Times

Turn off e-mail or Twitter when you work, put away your Blackberry at dinner time, ask your spouse to call you to bed at a designated hour.

The New York Times

Ticket holders arrive at the Goethe-Institut at a designated hour and have their photos taken before being led inside the show, for reasons that become clear later.

The New York Times

This time provides students with a choice in what they want to learn about or work on during a designated hour in school.

Forbes

Well-known experts and public figures announce a session a few days or weeks ahead of time, users submit questions, the author prepares answers, and then posts and comments on them for a designated hour or so.

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

At the designated hour, Fujihara made a neat stack of the happi coat, an Obama tie, and a copy of "Obama Is Beautiful World" and headed for the Mayor's conference room.

The New Yorker

At the designated hour, the man arrives at the foot of a tree in a great grove.

The New Yorker

Vonn said she found the regulations to be more user-friendly because she could only miss a test if she could not be located within her designated hour.

The New York Times - Sports

Pieter had timed the pickup perfectly and, despite all that had happened, had gotten us there at our designated hour.

The New York Times - Travel

Clay, the Olympic decathlon champion, discovered that when drug testers arrived at his gym outside of his designated hour.

The New York Times - Sports

"There's all sorts of weird, stressful things going through my mind with this new system," said Joraanstad, whose designated hour starts at 6 a.m.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "a designated hour" when you want to emphasize that a specific time has been officially set or allocated for a particular event or activity. This phrase works well in formal contexts and adds a sense of precision.

Common error

Avoid using "a designated hour" in casual conversation or informal writing. Simpler alternatives like "a specific time" or "the scheduled time" are often more appropriate and sound less stilted.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a designated hour" functions as a noun phrase, specifying a particular time that has been officially or formally chosen. As supported by Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Formal & Business

5%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "a designated hour" is a grammatically sound and usable phrase that indicates a pre-arranged or specified time. As confirmed by Ludwig, its primary function is to highlight a planned timeframe, often in formal settings. Usage is relatively rare, but commonly found in news and scientific contexts, indicating a formal or neutral register. While it's correct to use "a designated hour" to mark a specific time, simpler alternatives may be more suitable for casual conversations.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a scheduled hour

Replaces "designated" with "scheduled", emphasizing the planned aspect of the hour.

a specified hour

Uses "specified" instead of "designated", highlighting that the hour has been precisely indicated.

a predetermined hour

Substitutes "designated" with "predetermined", focusing on the fact that the hour was decided in advance.

an appointed hour

Replaces "designated" with "appointed", suggesting the hour was officially assigned.

a fixed hour

Uses "fixed" instead of "designated", emphasizing the immutability of the hour.

a set hour

Replaces "designated" with "set", indicating the hour has been established.

the allotted hour

Changes "designated" to "allotted", focusing on the hour having been allocated for a specific purpose.

the assigned hour

Substitutes "designated" with "assigned", indicating that the hour has been given to someone or something.

a reserved hour

Replaces "designated" with "reserved", emphasizing that the hour has been kept for a particular use.

the stipulated hour

Changes "designated" to "stipulated", suggesting that the hour was agreed upon as part of a condition or agreement.

FAQs

What does "a designated hour" mean?

The phrase "a designated hour" refers to a specific hour that has been officially chosen or assigned for a particular event, task, or purpose.

How to use "a designated hour" in a sentence?

You can use "a designated hour" to indicate a planned or scheduled time, for example: "The meeting will commence at "a scheduled hour" to ensure all participants are present."

What can I say instead of "a designated hour"?

Alternatives to "a designated hour" include "a specified time", "a scheduled hour", or "a predetermined time", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is "designated time" or "designated hour" more common?

"Designated time" is more common overall because it's a broader term. "Designated hour" is more specific, referring to a particular hour that has been set aside.