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

Explanation

Things that happen biweekly usually happen once every two weeks. Or twice a week. Just to confuse you. In the publishing world, this word is straightforward: a biweekly magazine comes out once every two weeks. But once you step outside magazines and newspapers, it gets a little more confusing. People use this word to describe things that happen once every two weeks, which is officially correct. They also use it to describe things that happen twice in one week, which is kind of correct — but the word semiweekly is more accurate in that case.

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

With one dependent, Tillery said her healthcare premiums have reached $900 a month, which, for part-time educators, can take up 40% of their biweekly pay.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 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

Molly had told her a hundred times, and she still fielded the questions on a biweekly basis.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny