over an hour

USAGE SUMMARY

"over an hour" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate that an activity took longer than one hour: "It took me over an hour to mow the lawn."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Swapping even a single track took over an hour.

The Economist

Sporadic gunfire rang out for over an hour.

The New York Times

It took over an hour to get to the counter.

Forbes

The work lasts over an hour.

Huffington Post

A single playthrough of the game takes "over an hour".

Wikipedia

This may take a over an hour.

Biological Procedures Online

In all, this should take over an hour.

WikiHow

It's been over an hour.

The New York Times

Over an hour has passed.

The New York Times

Waiting times were over an hour.

The Economist

It takes a little over an hour.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "over an hour" to indicate a duration exceeding 60 minutes in various contexts, from casual conversations to formal reports. It clearly communicates that the time involved was more than a single hour.

Common error

Avoid using "over an hour" when needing to be precise. Instead, specify the exact duration (e.g., "75 minutes") for clarity in formal or technical contexts.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "over an hour" functions primarily as an adverbial modifier of time, indicating the duration of an action or state. Ludwig confirms its grammatical correctness and usability in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

63%

Wiki

14%

Science

6%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

3%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "over an hour" is a grammatically sound and very common way to describe a duration exceeding 60 minutes. Ludwig's analysis, confirmed by its AI, indicates that it's suitable for diverse contexts, primarily appearing in news, media, and scientific domains. When precision is key, specifying the exact duration is advisable, but for general communication, "over an hour" effectively conveys the intended timeframe. Consider alternatives like "more than sixty minutes" for formal settings, or "an hour and a bit" for informal conversations.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

more than sixty minutes

This alternative provides a precise duration measurement in minutes instead of using the general phrase.

longer than an hour

This alternative uses a slightly different structure to convey the same meaning regarding duration.

exceeding one hour

This alternative uses more formal language to express a duration surpassing one hour.

in excess of an hour

This alternative employs a more sophisticated and formal tone to indicate a time duration greater than one hour.

well over an hour

This alternative emphasizes that the duration significantly exceeded one hour.

a period exceeding sixty minutes

This alternative provides a very specific and slightly technical way to describe a duration longer than one hour.

one hour plus

This alternative is a more casual way to express a duration slightly longer than an hour.

an hour and a bit

This alternative is an informal way of saying slightly longer than an hour.

close to two hours

This suggests that the duration is approaching two hours, differing from a definite statement.

nearly a couple of hours

This alternative offers an approximation, suggesting the duration is close to two hours.

FAQs

How can I use "over an hour" in a sentence?

You can use "over an hour" to describe the duration of an event or activity, such as "The meeting lasted "over an hour"" or "The drive took "over an hour"".

What's a more formal way to say "over an hour"?

In more formal contexts, you could use phrases like "in excess of one hour" or "a period exceeding sixty minutes" to convey a similar meaning with greater precision.

Is it correct to say "more than one hour" instead of "over an hour"?

Yes, "more than one hour" is grammatically correct and conveys the same meaning as "over an hour". However, "over an hour" is generally more concise and commonly used.

Can I use "about an hour" if it takes slightly more than 60 minutes?

While "about an hour" suggests an approximation, it's best to use ""over an hour"" for durations definitively longer than 60 minutes to avoid ambiguity.