day

noun \ ˈdā \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Examples: day in a Sentence

Definition of day

1 a : the time of light between one night and the next

the shortest day of the year

b : daylight 1

woke up at the break of day

c : daytime

sleeps during the day and works at night

2 astronomy : the period of rotation of a planet (such as earth) or a moon on its axis

the length of one day on Mars

3 : the mean solar day of 24 hours beginning at midnight by mean time

open seven days a week

the first day of every month

Take one pill two times a day.

4 : a specified day or date

their wedding day

the day of her birth

5 : a specified time or period : age

in grandfather's day

—often used in plural

the old days

the days of sailing ships

6 : the conflict or contention of the day

played hard and won the day

7 : the time established by usage or law for work, school, or business

starts his day with a cup of coffee

after a long day at school

We have a busy day tomorrow.

— day after day

: for an indefinite or seemingly endless number of days

wore the same pants day after day

— day in, day out

: for an indefinite number of successive days

does the same thing at work day in, day out

See day defined for English-language learners

See day defined for kids

Examples of day in a Sentence

We're open seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Payment is due on the first day of every month.
“What day of the week is the 28th?” “It's a Friday.”
He spent five days in the hospital.
She left on Thursday and came back four days later.
That was the happiest day of my life.
Parenthood gets better every day.
The office is closed for the day.
She works eight hours a day.
It costs 10 dollars a day to park there.

Recent Examples of day from the Web

Steve Mongeau, executive director of Samaritans in Greater Boston, said the number of calls to the Samaritans suicide prevention line on the day following a celebrity death will be double the number on a normal day.

— marek mazurek and laney ruckstuhl, BostonGlobe.com, "Ring in spring with these delicious recipes and state-of-the-art appliances," 9 June 2018
The chestnut colt with a pronounced white blaze won on slop at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness; even on a faster track on a clear day at Belmont, his opponents couldn’t outrun him.

— sean gregory/elmont, Time, "Justify Wins the 13th Triple Crown in Horse Racing History," 9 June 2018
For the rest of the city, leaf collection runs on regular garbage day and leaves must be bagged, although no stickers are required during the collection period.

— mike danahey, Elgin Courier-News, "Elgin finds turning over a new leaf (collection) isn't easy," 9 June 2018
With 50 species of butterflies and 190 kinds of birds, the preserve also boasts one of the best views in Central Florida — a visitor can stand 162 feet above sea level and see not only the lake but, on a clear day, the Orlando skyline.

— stephen hudak, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Winter Garden buys lakefront properties, envisions 'nicest park on Lake Apopka'," 8 June 2018
Brazil has until a day before its World Cup opener against Switzerland on June 17 to replace injured players in its 23-man squad.

— mauricio saverese, chicagotribune.com, "Fred suffers injury, Neymar wraps us recovery ahead of Austria friendly," 8 June 2018
If rain on one's wedding day is considered good luck, then Kristi Ling and Ron Spencer have a great life ahead of themselves, because that's just what happened to them this week.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "They wanted a beautiful beach wedding — then thousands of dead fish washed ashore," 8 June 2018
Li has moved her sound from the darkest part of a Scandinavian night on day when there was hardly any sun to the bleakest part of a Bret Easton Ellis novel from the ‘80s.

— refinery29.com, "Lykke Li Remains Gloriously Tragic On So Sad, So Sexy," 8 June 2018
Also advancing was Coral Springs resident Chris Kaufman, who shot a 68 earlier on a day when play was stopped twice because of lightning for more than 3 ½ hours.

— craig davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Bob Ford, Chris Kaufman qualify for U.S. Senior Open at Quail Ridge," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'day.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of day

Middle English, from Old English dæg; akin to Old High German tag day

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

day Synonyms

Day

biographical name \ ˈdā \

Definition of Day

Clarence Shepard, Jr. 1874–1935 American author

Day

biographical name

Definition of Day

Thomas 1748–1789 English author

Day

biographical name

Definition of Day

William Rufus 1849–1923 American statesman and jurist

DAY Defined for English Language Learners

day

noun

Definition of day for English Language Learners

: a period of 24 hours beginning at midnight : one of the seven time periods that make up a week
: the time of light between one night and the next : the part of the day when light from the sun can be seen
: the part of the day when people are usually most active and when most businesses are open