week

noun \ ˈwēk \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Definition of week

1 a : any of a series of 7-day cycles used in various calendars; especially : a 7-day cycle beginning on Sunday and ending on Saturday

b (1) : a week beginning with a specified day or containing a specified holiday

the week of the 18th

(2) : a week appointed for public recognition of some cause

2 a : any seven consecutive days

b : a series of regular working, business, or school days during each 7-day period

3 British : a time seven days before or after a specified day

last Sunday week

See week defined for English-language learners

See week defined for kids

Examples of week in a Sentence

the last week of the month
I can meet you sometime next week.
The menu changes each week.
You can never be sure what will happen from one week to the next.
The menu changes from week to week.
The baby is two weeks old. [a two-week .
I'll be on vacation for two weeks starting this Tuesday.
That car rents for 0 a week.
I arrived a week ago.
It took him two weeks to paint the house.

Recent Examples of week from the Web

Of those workers, four made more than $160,000 with overtime, including Bradley Thiede, a correctional officer at Redgranite Correctional Institution in Waushara County, who earned $175,000 in 2017 by working 95 hours a week on average.

— patrick marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "GOP leaders say wage increases not on table despite Wisconsin prison overtime costs, staffing shortage," 12 July 2018
Starting July 23, Legum will publish Popular Information four days a week.

— emily dreyfuss, WIRED, "Judd Legum Wants to Fix News With a Newsletter," 12 July 2018
In the early Nineteenth Century, the average worker spent close to 70 hours a week on the job; by 1920 that dropped to around 50 hours.

— livia gershon, Longreads, "Clocking Out," 11 July 2018
The facility would be available to rent seven days a week during the hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lavender and Olive would hold a maximum of 225 people, including employees and subcontracted staff.

— julie gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Garden advocate wants Ramona Street completion off priority list," 11 July 2018
The splash pad is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the summer.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Keeping Cool At Owen Bell Park," 11 July 2018
Adults with chronic back pain who did either technique for two hours a week for eight weeks reported significant relief, according to a 2016 JAMA study.

— consumer reports, Washington Post, "That aching back is hard to fix, but here are a few things to try," 9 July 2018
But as a group, fathers still spend less time with their children than mothers do—eight hours a week compared with 14 hours for moms, according to Pew.

— lauren weber, WSJ, "What About the Costs of Working Fatherhood, Readers Ask," 4 July 2018
Using that high frequency wand and waving it around a few patches around my face two or three times a week is going to benefit reducing the bacteria and preventing breakouts.

— lindsay peoples, The Cut, "A Beauty Expert on Switching Up Your Skin-Care Routine," 13 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of week

Middle English weke, from Old English wicu, wucu; akin to Old High German wehha week and perhaps to Latin vicis change, alternation, Old High German wehsal exchange

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year