Sunday
1 Americannoun
adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of Sunday.
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used, done, taking place, or being as indicated only on or as if on Sundays.
a Sunday matinée.
idioms
noun
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William Ashley Billy Sunday, 1862–1935, U.S. evangelist.
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a female given name.
noun
Usage
What does Sunday mean? Sunday is the day between Saturday and Monday. In North and South America, most countries (including the U. S. and Canada) consider the calendar week to begin on Sunday, making it the first day of the week. In other places, including in much of Europe and Asia, the week is considered to begin on Monday, making Sunday the seventh and final day of the week. In parts of the Middle East and other places, the week is considered to begin on Saturday, making Sunday the second day of the week. Regardless of when the week officially begins, in many places Sunday is considered (along with Saturday) 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, Sunday 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—Sunday. Sunday is often enjoyed as a day of recreation and rest (some people call it Sunday Funday). But it comes with a catch: it’s followed by Monday, which is famously disliked due to being the first day of the workweek. (This feeling of dread over the weekend ending is sometimes called the Sunday scaries.)The word Sundays can be used as an adverb meaning every Sunday or on Sundays, as in I work Sundays or The shop is closed Sundays. To indicate the general time of day during which something will happen on a Sunday, the word can be followed by the general time, as in Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening, and Sunday night. Example: Sundays are bittersweet—I like relaxing, but in the back of my mind I’m worrying about the coming workweek.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of Sunday
before 900; Middle English sun(nen)day, Old English sunnandæg, translation of Latin diēs sōlis, itself translation of Greek hēméra hēlíou day of the sun; cognate with German Sonntag
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.
I want to wait till Sunday night, order my favorite food, maybe have a friend come over ...
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Brent crude oil slipped at the European open after Iran and Israel said they would only renew attacks if the other did first after exchanging strikes Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
In a joint statement on Sunday evening, Sir Keir, Macron and Merz called on Russia to agree to an "immediate and complete ceasefire" and condemned the country's "large-scale missile and drone attacks" on Ukrainian cities.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
"It's really about the kids seeing me play," Williams told reporters at Queen's on Sunday.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
The Sunday afternoon sun trickles through my streaked window and shines light onto my Miles Morales poster, which features the hero fearlessly swinging through a futuristic neon city.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
