Saturday
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does Saturday mean? Saturday is the day between Friday and Sunday. In much of North and South America, where most countries (including the U. S. and Canada) consider the calendar week to begin on Sunday, Saturday is the seventh and final day of the week. In other places, including in much of Europe and Asia, the week is considered to begin on Monday, making Saturday the sixth day of the week. In parts of the Middle East and other places, the week is considered to begin on Saturday. Regardless of when the week officially begins, in many places Saturday is considered (along with Sunday) one of the two days that make up the weekend, during which many people do not work. In contrast, the other five days, Monday through Friday, are considered weekdays, which make up the workweek (or school week). In this sense, Saturday is not considered a weekday but a weekend day. Many people’s favorite day is Saturday because it’s the official start of the weekend, with another weekend day ahead of it. (Friday evening is often considered the unofficial start of the weekend, but Friday is still considered a weekday.) Like the weekend itself, Saturday is associated with rest, relaxation, and freedom from responsibility—along with the free time to do whatever one wants. In Judaism, Saturday is Shabbat (or the Sabbath), a day of rest and religious observance (technically lasting from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday). The word Saturdays can be used as an adverb meaning every Saturday or on Saturdays, as in I work Saturdays or The shop is only open Saturdays. To indicate the general time of day during which something will happen on a Saturday, the word can be followed by the general time, as in Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, and Saturday night. Example: I love a Saturday without plans, when I can do whatever I want all day.
Etymology
Origin of Saturday
before 900; Middle English Saturdai; Old English Saternesdæg, partial translation of Latin Sāturnī diēs Saturn's day; cognate with Dutch zaterdag, Low German saterdag
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.
On Saturday, hundreds of current and former Dorsey Dons came to the school for the reunion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Downing Street said on Saturday night that position remained unchanged, despite reports the prime minister could revisit the case.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Further west, a German military operational command spokesman told AFP on Saturday that drones were detected this week above an army installation in western Germany known to house a large underground depot.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
In an interview with the Telegraph, external published on Saturday, Johnson said he has now "got the athletes paid", after a "catastrophic capital issue" was caused by investors pulling out.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
One Saturday morning, I was helping Mama put dishes away when we heard one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight footsteps walking up the front stairs and onto the porch.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
