The phrase “within 24 hours” is often used, but can generally cause folks who’ve never used or heard this saying some confusion. Because of this, this article will take a much closer look at this phrase, its particular meaning, and a few helpful examples to hopefully clear any lingering questions.
What Does “Within 24 Hours” Mean?
The phrase “within 24 hours” is used to denote a specific amount of time, prior to a set deadline. If we are asked to call someone “within 24 hours”, they would like us to call them “within a 24-hour” timeline, after the moment that they have expressed their request.
Therefore, if someone requests that we give them a call “within 24 hours”, and they have submitted this request at 3 pm, this means we should give them a call before 3 pm the following day. We should consider 3 pm the deadline for this call to be submitted.
Essentially, this means that we have until the same time, the following day, to return a call, complete a task, etc. This sort of request only includes the time after it has been requested, never prior (unless otherwise specified).
What Does “Within 24 Hours of Departure” Mean?
The phrase “within 24 hours of departure” is used quite consistently as our original phrase “within 24 hours”. We are being asked to complete a task, return a call, etc. “within 24 hours” of the time that we have left a specific location.
For example, this means that if we leave a family dinner and are asked to call someone “within 24 hours of our departure”, we are expected to call said requester “within 24 hours” after we departed the family dinner. If we left at 7 pm, then we have until 7 pm the following day to complete this request for a phone call.
If the phrase is changed to “within 24 hours prior to departure”, then we have to complete the request prior to the time that we departed. For example, if we are asked to walk the dog “within 24 hours prior to departure”, and we have departed at 6 pm, then we must complete this request prior to 6 pm the following day.
What Does “Within 24 Hours of Arrival” Mean?
The phrase “within 24 hours of arrival” is also used very similarly to our original phrase “within 24 hours”. We are being asked to complete a task, return a call, etc. “within 24 hours” of the time that we have arrived at a specific location.
For example, if we have arrived at a family event at 2 pm, and we are asked to chop firewood “within 24 hours of arrival”, then we are expected to chop the firewood prior to 2 pm the following day.
Another example would be if we are asked to check into our hotel room “within 24 hours of arrival” and we have arrived at 4 pm, then we are expected to check into our hotel room no later than 4 pm the following day.
What Does “Within 24 Hours of Receipt” Mean?
The phrase “within 24 hours of receipt” is again, very similar to our initial phrase of “within 24 hours”. We are being asked to submit a payment “within 24 hours” of being issued a receipt. This is a common way of requesting payment in a courteous manner.
An example of this would be if we were to stay at a hotel. Upon checking out of the hotel, we may be issued a receipt for our stay, and then requested that “within 24 hours of receipt” we send in our payment. Therefore, if we were issued the receipt at 11 am, we would have until 11 am the following morning to send our payment to said hotel.
Another example would be if we had requested service at a wedding and were issued a receipt by the caterer, DJ, etc. when they were departing. If they requested payment be submitted to them “within 24 hours of receipt”, they are requesting payment the following day. Therefore, if they gave us the receipt at 8 pm, we would have until 8 pm the following day to submit our payment to them.
Final Thoughts
The phrase “within 24 hours” is used commonly, to denote a specific time that someone would appreciate a payment be submitted, a task is completed, a call is returned, etc. The specific timeframe we have is dependent on the time that this request was given to us.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
