day

noun \ ˈdā \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

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

Even with the debt assistance, estimates show that Hartford would only break even in the coming years — a slog for a city trying to build up its grand list and rainy-day fund.

— jenna carlesso, Courant Community, "Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin's Budget Will Face New Scrutiny From Oversight Board," 15 Apr. 2018
When the Union made its debut in 1868, Alonzo Horton had already spent a year building San Diego’s present-day downtown.

— roger showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, ""A Faithful Mirror": The San Diego Union-Tribune's first 150 years," 15 Apr. 2018
Indigenous populations and enslaved people, brought to the city in chains by the Dutch East India Company from as far away as modern-day Indonesia, were stripped not only of their lands, but also their cultural identities.

— New York Times, "Cape Town’s New Masculinity," 14 Apr. 2018
Recommended drinking limits in the United States are currently 98 grams for women and double for men -- at two drinks per day -- while limits in Italy, Spain and Portugal are almost 50% higher.

— meera senthilingam, CNN, "Even one drink a day could be shortening your life expectancy," 13 Apr. 2018
In exchange, the Kings will receive 15 percent of all concession and catering sales, all revenue from temporary game-day advertising such as sponsors’ decals and all remaining ticket sales.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "New details revealed about Kings’ deal to move G-League team to Stockton | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Apr. 2018
The people of the Wabanaki Confederacy represent five nations stretching from present-day Maine to Quebec.

— julissa treviño, Smithsonian, "Researchers Are Tracing Wabanaki Canoe Routes in New Brunswick," 12 Apr. 2018
The January 2017 Women’s March is believed to have been the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.

— molly ball, Time, "Fed-Up Women Are Changing American Politics," 12 Apr. 2018
These tax dollars will continue to support the programs and services already in place, and allow for additional programs, such as all-day kindergarten, which is being mandated by the state -- all at no additional expense to taxpayers.

— alyssa alfano, cleveland.com, "Medina City School District makes plans for summer construction," 11 Apr. 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