Sabbath

American  

[sab-uhth] / ˈsæb əθ /

noun

1. the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as the day of rest and religious observance among Jews and some Christians.

2. the Sabbath, the first day of the week, Sunday, observed by most Christians as a day of public worship and often of rest.

3. any special day of prayer, worship, or rest.

4. Often sabbath a day or other period of rest or break from certain forms of activity.

   If people gave themselves a weekly sabbath from electronic devices, it would probably cure many ills.

5. Sometimes sabbath Sabbat.

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Sabbath British  

/ ˈsæbəθ /

noun

1. the seventh day of the week, Saturday, devoted to worship and rest from work in Judaism and in certain Christian Churches

2. Sunday, observed by Christians as the day of worship and rest from work in commemoration of Christ's Resurrection

3. (not capital) a period of rest

4. Also called: sabbat, witches' Sabbath. a midnight meeting or secret rendezvous for practitioners of witchcraft, sorcery, or devil worship

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Sabbath Cultural  

1. The holy day of rest and reflection observed each Saturday among the Jews. This custom fulfills the fourth of the Ten Commandments (“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”). The Sabbath commemorates the last of the seven days of Creation as described in the Book of Genesis, the day God rested from his labors of creating the heavens and the Earth.

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Discover More

Christians have traditionally kept Sunday as a weekly day of rest in adaptation of the Jewish observance, and in commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Some denominations, such as the Seventh-Day Adventists, observe Saturday as the Sabbath.

Other Word Forms

• Sabbathless
  adjective
• Sabbathlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Sabbath

First recorded before 900; Middle English sabat, sabadt, sabath, Old English sabat, from Latin sabbatum, from Greek sábbaton, from Hebrew shabbāth “rest”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sabbath

Kelly’s dad, Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, welcomed the television network into his home for an episode of “MTV Cribs,” and audiences were so taken with the family’s quirky dynamic, they wanted more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

A Jerusalem cafe picketed for weeks by observant Jews said Thursday it had agreed to shut on the Sabbath, bowing to demands despite counter-protests by secular Israelis.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

He celebrates the Sabbath every week, shutting off his cellphone and focusing on his wife and three young children.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

And after the Sabbath has ended, I go online and post “I read this over Shabbos.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Since they didn’t work in their fields and gardens on the Sabbath, our neighbors weren’t in a big hurry to go home.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• day off
• rest day