biweekly

American  

[bahy-week-lee] / baɪˈwik li /

adjective

1. occurring every two weeks.

2. occurring twice a week; semiweekly.

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noun

plural

biweeklies

1. a periodical issued every other week.

adverb

1. every two weeks.

2. twice a week.

biweekly British  

/ baɪˈwiːklɪ /

adjective

1. every two weeks

2. (often avoided because of confusion with sense 1) twice a week; semiweekly See bi- 1

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noun

1. a periodical published every two weeks

Usage

What does biweekly mean? Biweekly is commonly used to mean one of two things: once every two weeks or twice per week. It can be used this way as an adjective, as in a biweekly meeting, or an adverb, as in We plan to meet biweekly. Yes, you can sometimes figure out what biweekly means from the context of the sentence. But not always. The term biweekly meeting might mean that it happens twice a week or every two weeks—both senses of the word are commonly used. Here’s the best (and maybe only) way to be perfectly clear: just say “twice a week” or “once every two weeks.”Biweekly can also be used as a noun referring to a publication that’s published twice per week or once every two weeks (as opposed to a daily or weekly, for example). Examples:

• New episodes of my biweekly podcast come out every other Monday. 
• Let’s plan to meet biweekly—every Tuesday and Friday.

Commonly Confused

See bi- ¹.

Etymology

Origin of biweekly

First recorded in 1880–85; bi- ¹ + weekly

Example Sentences

It’s a perk that Mark Dickerson, a resident of suburban Minneapolis, finds invaluable, saying he’s no longer fighting the crowds to do his biweekly Costco shopping.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

Beth DeCarbo wrote Counting House, the Mansion section's biweekly column about the personal finances of owning a home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

It had about $500 million in deposits and approximately 3,000 employees, which translates into a biweekly payroll of about $7.5 million, using average national salaries.

From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025

Follow her on Bluesky @AmandaMarcotte and sign up for her biweekly politics newsletter, Standing Room Only.

From Salon • May 12, 2025

As Lori, the court-ordered social worker she meets with biweekly always tells her to do, Molly decides to make a mental list of all the positive things about her situation.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline