last few hours

USAGE SUMMARY

"last few hours" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to a period of time in the recent past, such as in the example sentence, "I have been feeling tired lately, likely because I haven't been sleeping well over the last few hours."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

CHALLENGE The last few hours.

The New York Times

The last few hours... [grimaces] Wow.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Where have you jerks been for the last few hours?

The Guardian - Sport

It was my last few hours on the island.

The Guardian - Travel

"To preside over the bed of a dying man in his last few hours.

The New York Times - Health

"I can't tell you what the last few hours have been like.

Independent

"We spent the last few hours talking, just the four of us," Longwell said.

The New York Times - Sports

"Spectators poured in," wrote Bassano, "to see the last few hours of this amazing match".

The Guardian - Sport

"Furthermore, Luis wants to thank the Uruguayan population for its support in the last few hours".

The Guardian - Sport

"I have been talking to a lot of members over the last few hours.

The Guardian

Yawning in my basket, I thought about how to spend my last few hours in Berlin.

The New York Times - Travel

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about events that occurred within a short timeframe, using "last few hours" helps to provide a sense of immediacy and relevance to the reader.

Common error

While "last few hours" is appropriate in many contexts, avoid overuse in formal or academic writing where more precise time references may be preferred. Instead, consider stating the specific time frame or using more formal alternatives.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "last few hours" functions as an adverbial phrase of time, specifying a period in the recent past. As shown by Ludwig, it modifies a verb or clause to indicate when an action occurred or a state existed. Ludwig AI confirms that the phrase is correct and widely used.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Science

15%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "last few hours" is a grammatically sound and versatile phrase used to denote a recent period of time. As indicated by Ludwig, the phrase is appropriate for a wide range of contexts, with a tendency toward neutral to professional register. Ludwig confirms that it is widely used and accepted. This makes "last few hours" a reliable option for specifying temporal context in various forms of communication. When more precision is needed, consider alternatives like "recent hours" or being more specific. You can also refer to our Writing Guidance section with tips on how to best use the query.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

past few hours

Emphasizes that the hours are in the past and relatively close to the present moment.

last several hours

Uses "several" instead of "few" to indicate a slightly larger, but still indefinite, number of hours.

recent hours

Focuses on the recency of the hours, without specifying a quantity.

most recent hours

Highlights the hours closest to the present time.

previous couple of hours

Uses a more casual term "couple" to indicate a small number of hours.

immediate past hours

Emphasizes the immediacy of the past hours.

the hours just gone by

More descriptive and informal way to refer to the hours that have passed.

earlier today

Refers to the hours within the current day that have already passed.

the close of the day

Focuses on the hours near the end of the day.

recent timeframe

Uses a more generic term to indicate a short, recent time period.

FAQs

How can I use "last few hours" in a sentence?

You can use "last few hours" to refer to a short period of time recently passed. For example, "I've been working on this project for the "last few hours"." Or, "The stock market has been volatile in the "last few hours"."

What are some alternatives to "last few hours"?

Alternatives include phrases like "recent hours", "past few hours", or "earlier today" depending on the specific context and timeframe you want to convey.

Is it grammatically correct to say "in the last few hours"?

Yes, it is grammatically correct. The phrase "in the "last few hours"" is a common and accepted way to specify when something occurred. For example, "In the "last few hours", the situation has changed significantly."

What's the difference between "last few hours" and "past few hours"?

While both phrases are very similar, ""last few hours"" generally refers to the most recent hours leading up to the present moment. "Past few hours" also indicates recent time but might include hours slightly further back from the immediate present.