Meanings
nounzero-hour contract (plural zero-hour contracts)
plural zero-hour contracts · alternative zero-hours contract
- UKA contract of employment that creates an on-call arrangement in which the employee agrees to be available for work as and when required, without any particular number of hours or times of work being specified or guaranteed.
But being on a zero-hour contract meant there was no way to defend himself when things took a turn for the worse.
2017 March 27, Martin Williams, “The bullying and fear at the heart of zero-hour contracts”, in The Guardian
Translations
Dutch nuluurcontract, nulurencontract
- nuluurcontractcontract
- nulurencontractcontract
Finnish nollasopimus, nollatuntisopimus
- nollasopimuscontract
- nollatuntisopimuscontract
- nollatyösopimuscontract
French contrat zéro heure
- contrat zéro heurecontract
Polish śmieciówka, umowa śmieciowa
- śmieciówkacontract
- umowa śmieciowacontract
Cite this entry
APA
zero-hour contract. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zero-hour%20contract
MLA
“zero-hour contract.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zero-hour%20contract. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zero-hour contract,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zero-hour%20contract.
Source: zero-hour contract on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.