die Uhr, -en

Definition & meaning

die Uhr means clock or watch: a device that shows or measures the time.

• Clock: a stationary timepiece, such as a wall clock or alarm clock.
• Watch: a portable timepiece worn on the wrist or carried.
• O’clock / at a certain time: used after a number to indicate an exact time:
  • Es ist drei Uhr. — “It is three o’clock.”
  • Der Zug fährt um acht Uhr ab. — “The train leaves at eight o’clock.”

The meaning depends on the context. English distinguishes “clock” and “watch,” but German uses die Uhr for both.

Grammar & Word origin

• Gender: feminine
• Singular: die Uhr
• Plural: die Uhren
• Pronunciation: approximately “oor”

In time expressions, Uhr is generally used with a number:

• um fünf Uhr — at five o’clock
• gegen zehn Uhr — around ten o’clock
• ab sechs Uhr — from six o’clock onward

The word comes from Middle High German ūr(e) and ultimately derives from Latin hōra, meaning “hour” or “time.”

Synonyms & antonyms

There is no exact everyday synonym for die Uhr. Depending on context, the following words may be used:

• der Zeitmesser ↗ — “time-measuring device”; a more technical or formal term.
• das Uhrwerk ↗ — the mechanism inside a clock or watch, not the complete device itself.

There is no direct antonym for die Uhr. A contrasting expression is:

• die Zeitlosigkeit ↗ — timelessness or the absence of measurable time.

Common phrases & collocations

• die Armbanduhr ↗ — wristwatch
• die Wanduhr ↗ — wall clock
• der Wecker ↗ — alarm clock
• die Uhr stellen [?](vocabuo://word/Uhr stellen) — to set the clock
• auf die Uhr schauen [?](vocabuo://word/auf die Uhr schauen) — to look at the time
• Wie viel Uhr ist es? [?](vocabuo://word/Wie viel Uhr ist es) — What time is it?
• Es ist halb drei. [?](vocabuo://word/Es ist halb drei) — It is half past two. In German, halb drei literally means “halfway to three.”
• pünktlich auf die Uhrzeit [?](vocabuo://word/pünktlich auf die Uhrzeit) — punctually at the specified time