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definitions

day

[dey]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR day ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Idioms

    call it a day, to stop one's activity for the day or for the present; quit temporarily: After rewriting the paper, she decided to call it a day.
    day and night. night(def 11).
    day in, day out, every day without fail; regularly: They endured the noise and dirt of the city day in, day out.Also day in and day out.

Origin of day

before 950; Middle English; Old English dæg; cognate with German Tag
Related formshalf-day, nounpre·day, noun

Day

[dey]

noun

Benjamin Henry,1810–89, U.S. newspaper publisher.
Clarence (Shep·ard) [shep-erd] /ˈʃɛp ərd/, 1874–1935, U.S. author.
Dorothy,1897–1980, U.S. Roman Catholic social activist, journalist, and publisher.
Also Daye. Stephen,1594?–1668, U.S. colonist, born in England: considered the first printer in the Colonies.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for day

term, period, time, light, daylight, sunshine, sunlight, daytime, prime, zenith, generation, age, epoch, height, ascendancy, heyday, cycle, bright

Examples from the Web for day

Contemporary Examples of day

Historical Examples of day

  • During the whole of the ensuing day, Paralus continued in a deep sleep.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • At sunset he would have stopped for the day, camping on the spot.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • I need cheerfulness and rest for a long time after this day in town.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • But at last there came a day against which no objections could be raised.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • Some one said the other day, "Ennui is a disease that comes from living on other people's money."

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for day

day

noun

Also called: civil day the period of time, the calendar day, of 24 hours' duration reckoned from one midnight to the next
  1. the period of light between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from the night
  2. (as modifier)the day shift
the part of a day occupied with regular activity, esp workhe took a day off
(sometimes plural) a period or point in timehe was a good singer in his day; in days gone by; any day now
the period of time, the sidereal day, during which the earth makes one complete revolution on its axis relative to a particular star. The mean sidereal day lasts 23 hours 56 minutes 4.1 seconds of the mean solar day
the period of time, the solar day, during which the earth makes one complete revolution on its axis relative to the sun. The mean solar day is the average length of the apparent solar day and is some four minutes (3 minutes 56.5 seconds of sidereal time) longer than the sidereal day
the period of time taken by a specified planet to make one complete rotation on its axisthe Martian day
(often capital) a day designated for a special observance, esp a holidayChristmas Day
all in a day's work part of one's normal activity; no trouble
at the end of the day in the final reckoning
day of rest the Sabbath; Sunday
end one's days to pass the end of one's life
every dog has his day one's luck will come
in this day and age nowadays
it's early days it's too early to tell how things will turn out
late in the day
  1. very late (in a particular situation)
  2. too late
that will be the day
  1. I look forward to that
  2. that is most unlikely to happen
a time of success, recognition, power, etchis day will soon come
a struggle or issue at handthe day is lost
  1. the ground surface over a mine
  2. (as modifier)the day level
from day to day without thinking of the future
call it a day to stop work or other activity
day after day without respite; relentlessly
day by day gradually or progressively; dailyhe weakened day by day
day in, day out every day and all day long
from Day 1 or from Day One from the very beginning
one of these days at some future time
(modifier) of, relating to, or occurring in the daythe day shift
See also days
Related formsRelated adjective: diurnal

Word Origin for day

Old English dæg; related to Old High German tag, Old Norse dagr

Day

noun

Sir Robin. 1923–2000, British radio and television journalist, noted esp for his political interviews
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for day
n.

Old English dæg "day," also "lifetime," from Proto-Germanic *dagaz (cf. Old Saxon, Middle Dutch, Dutch dag, Old Frisian dei, Old High German tag, German Tag, Old Norse dagr, Gothic dags), from PIE *dhegh-.

Not considered to be related to Latin dies (see diurnal), but rather to Sanskrit dah "to burn," Lithuanian dagas "hot season," Old Prussian dagis "summer." Meaning originally, in English, "the daylight hours;" expanded to mean "the 24-hour period" in late Anglo-Saxon times. Day off first recorded 1883; day-tripper first recorded 1897. The days in nowadays, etc. is a relic of the Old English and Middle English use of the adverbial genitive.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
day in Science

day

[dā]

See under sidereal time solar day.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with day

day

In addition to the idioms beginning with day

  • day after day
  • day and night
  • day by day
  • day in court, have one's
  • day in, day out
  • day off
  • days are numbered, one's
  • day to day

also see:

  • all in a day's work
  • any day
  • apple a day
  • bad hair day
  • break of day
  • by the day
  • call it a day
  • carry the day
  • different as night and day
  • dog days
  • every dog has its day
  • field day
  • for days on end
  • forever and a day
  • from this day forward
  • good day
  • had its day
  • happy as the day is long
  • heavenly days
  • in all one's born days
  • in the cold light of day
  • in this day and age
  • late in the day
  • make a day of it
  • make one's day
  • name the day
  • night and day
  • not give someone the time of day
  • not one's day
  • one of these days
  • order of the day
  • pass the time (of day)
  • plain as day
  • rainy day
  • red-letter day
  • Rome wasn't built in a day
  • salad days
  • save the day
  • seen better days
  • see the light of day
  • that'll be the day
  • the other day
  • time of day
  • tomorrow is another day
  • win through (the day)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.