day
noun
the interval of light between two successive nights; the time between sunrise and sunset.
day
1 American
[day]
/ deɪ /
noun
-
days
plural
-
the interval of light between two successive nights; the time between sunrise and sunset.
Since there was no artificial illumination, all activities had to be carried on during the day.
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the light of day; daylight.
The owl sleeps by day and feeds by night.
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Astronomy.
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Also called mean solar day. a division of time equal to 24 hours and representing the average length of the period during which the earth makes one rotation on its axis.
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Also called solar day. a division of time equal to the time elapsed between two consecutive returns of the same terrestrial meridian to the sun.
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Also called civil day. a division of time equal to 24 hours but reckoned from one midnight to the next.
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an analogous division of time for a planet other than the earth.
the Martian day.
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the portion of a day allotted to work.
an eight-hour day.
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a day on which something occurs.
the day we met.
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(often initial capital letter) a day assigned to a particular purpose or observance.
New Year's Day.
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a time considered as propitious or opportune.
His day will come.
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a day of contest or the contest itself.
to win the day.
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Often a particular time or period.
the present day; in days of old.
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Usually period of life or activity.
His days are numbered.
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period of existence, power, or influence.
in the day of the dinosaurs.
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Architecture. light.
idioms
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day in, day out, every day without fail; regularly: Also day in and day out
They endured the noise and dirt of the city day in, day out.
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day and night. night.
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call it a day, to stop one's activity for the day or for the present; quit temporarily.
After rewriting the paper, she decided to call it a day.
Day
2
American
[day]
/ deɪ /
noun
-
Benjamin Henry, 1810–89, U.S. newspaper publisher.
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Clarence (Shepard) 1874–1935, U.S. author.
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Dorothy, 1897–1980, U.S. Roman Catholic social activist, journalist, and publisher.
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Also Daye Stephen, 1594?–1668, U.S. colonist, born in England: considered the first printer in the Colonies.
day
1
British
/ deɪ /
noun
-
Also called: civil day. the period of time, the calendar day, of 24 hours' duration reckoned from one midnight to the next
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the period of light between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from the night
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( as modifier )
the day shift
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the part of a day occupied with regular activity, esp work
he took a day off
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(sometimes plural) a period or point in time
he was a good singer in his day
in days gone by
any day now
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the period of time, the sidereal day, during which the earth makes one complete revolution on its axis relative to a particular star. The mean sidereal day lasts 23 hours 56 minutes 4.1 seconds of the mean solar day
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the period of time, the solar day, during which the earth makes one complete revolution on its axis relative to the sun. The mean solar day is the average length of the apparent solar day and is some four minutes (3 minutes 56.5 seconds of sidereal time) longer than the sidereal day
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the period of time taken by a specified planet to make one complete rotation on its axis
the Martian day
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(often capital) a day designated for a special observance, esp a holiday
Christmas Day
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part of one's normal activity; no trouble
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in the final reckoning
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the Sabbath; Sunday
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to pass the end of one's life
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one's luck will come
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nowadays
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it's too early to tell how things will turn out
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very late (in a particular situation)
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too late
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I look forward to that
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that is most unlikely to happen
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a time of success, recognition, power, etc
his day will soon come
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a struggle or issue at hand
the day is lost
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the ground surface over a mine
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( as modifier )
the day level
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without thinking of the future
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to stop work or other activity
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without respite; relentlessly
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gradually or progressively; daily
he weakened day by day
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every day and all day long
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from the very beginning
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at some future time
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(modifier) of, relating to, or occurring in the day
the day shift
Day
2
British
/ deɪ /
noun
day
Scientific
/ dā /
day
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of day
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English dæg; cognate with German Tag
Explanation
A day is a 24-hour period, or the length of time it takes the Earth to rotate fully on its axis. There are 365 days in a year, and 31 days in the month of January. Most work weeks last five days, and an ordinary weekend gives you two days of freedom before you go back to work or school. Day can also mean the opposite of night, or the time when the sun is up and you're awake. If your grandpa starts his stories with, "Back in my day..." he means an era or a period of time in the past. The Old English root, dæg, means both "day" and "lifetime."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Another brutal day for tech stocks left the Nasdaq-100 index in correction territory on Monday — marking its third drop of at least 10% from a recent peak this year.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
But in one of his boldest and strangest films—and, in its day, one of his least heralded—he marshaled his gifts for gigantism to tell a story of intimate scale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Throughout October and up to election day, Wild Up in L.A. has taken the lead in orchestral electoral activism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
The next day, Stewart, who has an estimated net worth of $400 million, proudly showed off on Instagram that in 2026, she decided to cosplay a poor person.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
“Lala, the first day you held a cello, how did it go?” she asks.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
"Arsenal got lucky," Danny Murphy said on Match of the Day.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
In 2016, 40 women ran for Senate seats; of those, 15 won their primaries and competed on national Election Day.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
While acknowledging previous shocks like Liberation Day and the start of the Iranian crisis saw the sector go lower still, the risk-reward profile now favors an overweight call, says the team.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Olvera Street’s Day of the Dead events have taken place for nearly 40 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Lilya Litvyak, born on Aviation Day, had already trained forty-five pilots at the Kirov Flying Club in Moscow.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Iran is reportedly claiming that it is willing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days once a deal is reached.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
“These days you often get a brown sauce substitute. You’ve got to take your own.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Having optimism is tough these days, especially for people glued to their algorithms and, of course, watching too much news.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Whereas previous haze episodes in Singapore and Malaysia have typically lasted for a few days, this time it stretched into weeks.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
"In the old days," Don Quixote had said, "knights won islands and kingdoms. They gave them to their squires to govern. I plan to do the same with you, Sancho, if you become my squire."
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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