day-to-day

1 of 2

adjective

1
: taking place, made, or done in the course of days
in charge of day-to-day operations
also : everyday
day-to-day life
2
: providing for a day at a time with little thought for the future
an aimless day-to-day existence
day-to-day adverb
or day to day
struggling day-to-day [=every day] with depression
living day to day [=one day at a time]
… it's impossible to live with devastation day to day and not look on all the concern over one still-healthy individual as a vulgar spectacle. Robert Massa

day-to-day

2 of 2

noun

plural day-to-days
: a usual routine that occurs each day
… a feeling of hope and adventure that many of us lack in our day-to-day.Nathan Mattise
But the woman is fearless, living life in a perpetual state of curiosity despite her repetitive day-to-day.Alex Suskind

Examples of day-to-day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In court papers filed Thursday (Mar. 14), attorneys for Allen and his unnamed Jane Doe accuser — his former day-to-day manager — jointly asked a federal judge to dismiss her claims against the country singer. Bill Donahue, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2024 For some, the apocalypse is a very real day-to-day threat. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 Try to be mindful of incorporating natural movement into your day-to-day life, whether that’s swapping a commute in a car for a walk or taking the stairs wherever possible. Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024 Using the first part of the webtoon, the series follows Dong-hyun, a high school junior, who barely survives his day-to-day bullying at school. Patrick Frater, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 Marwan Issa Marwan Issa, deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing and the right-hand man to Deif, is believed to run many of Hamas’s day-to-day operations, said Daniel Byman, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Cate Brown, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Fans were first introduced to Garrison in 2010 alongside his various siblings, mother Janelle, father Kody and Kody's other wives — Meri, Christine and Robyn Brown — in the TLC series documenting the polygamist family's day-to-day life. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Joy Randolph is detailing her day-to-day ahead of one of the biggest nights of her career. Mia McNiece, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 That economic influence extends well beyond day-to-day consumption. Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
The actress is all about staying active in her day-to-day life, and likes to get some of that movement in while gardening. Jacqueline Tempera, Women's Health, 21 Mar. 2023 Unique Coach CitySole technology optimizes comfort and flexibility within these shoes, and the low-top design is both stylish yet wearable for whatever your vacation or day-to-day life may have in store. Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2023 Defenseman Cale Makar is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, though it's not considered serious. Mike Brehm, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2023 The answer can be found in monotasking and embracing gratitude in our day-to-day lives. Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2023 Your holiday ensembles can look a bit different than your day-to-day uniform, especially in the spring and summer time, when playful dressing is at an all-time high. Rachel Besser, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2023 Tallulah Stallvik, a junior at The Cambridge School of Weston, used poetry to look at the little things affecting their day-to-day life. Abigail Lee, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Mar. 2023 In 2021, New City America took over day-to-day management of the avenue on behalf of the Association, formerly Third Avenue Village. Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2023 In all likelihood, only someone stuck in such day-to-day drudgery would refrain from asking too many questions when she’s offered what appears to be, if not a dream job, a safe refuge. Joe Leydon, Variety, 19 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'day-to-day.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of day-to-day was in 1862

Dictionary Entries Near day-to-day

Cite this Entry

“Day-to-day.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/day-to-day. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

day-to-day

adjective
ˈdāt-ə-ˌdā
1
: taking place, made, or done in the course of days
day-to-day problems
2
: providing for a day at a time with little thought of the future
a day-to-day existence
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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