day
noun
the interval of light between two successive nights; the time between sunrise and sunset.
day
1 American
[dey]
/ deɪ /
noun
-
days
plural
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the interval of light between two successive nights; the time between sunrise and sunset.
Since there was no artificial illumination, all activities had to be carried on during the day.
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the light of day; daylight.
The owl sleeps by day and feeds by night.
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Astronomy.
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Also called mean solar day. a division of time equal to 24 hours and representing the average length of the period during which the earth makes one rotation on its axis.
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Also called solar day. a division of time equal to the time elapsed between two consecutive returns of the same terrestrial meridian to the sun.
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Also called civil day. a division of time equal to 24 hours but reckoned from one midnight to the next.
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an analogous division of time for a planet other than the earth.
the Martian day.
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the portion of a day allotted to work.
an eight-hour day.
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a day on which something occurs.
the day we met.
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(often initial capital letter) a day assigned to a particular purpose or observance.
New Year's Day.
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a time considered as propitious or opportune.
His day will come.
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a day of contest or the contest itself.
to win the day.
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Often a particular time or period.
the present day; in days of old.
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Usually period of life or activity.
His days are numbered.
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period of existence, power, or influence.
in the day of the dinosaurs.
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Architecture. light.
idioms
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day in, day out, every day without fail; regularly: Also day in and day out
They endured the noise and dirt of the city day in, day out.
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day and night. night.
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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
2
American
[dey]
/ deɪ /
noun
-
Benjamin Henry, 1810–89, U.S. newspaper publisher.
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Clarence (Shepard) 1874–1935, U.S. author.
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Dorothy, 1897–1980, U.S. Roman Catholic social activist, journalist, and publisher.
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Also Daye Stephen, 1594?–1668, U.S. colonist, born in England: considered the first printer in the Colonies.
day
1
British
/ deɪ /
noun
-
Also called: civil day. the period of time, the calendar day, of 24 hours' duration reckoned from one midnight to the next
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the period of light between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from the night
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( as modifier )
the day shift
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the part of a day occupied with regular activity, esp work
he took a day off
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(sometimes plural) a period or point in time
he was a good singer in his day
in days gone by
any day now
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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
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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
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the period of time taken by a specified planet to make one complete rotation on its axis
the Martian day
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(often capital) a day designated for a special observance, esp a holiday
Christmas Day
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part of one's normal activity; no trouble
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in the final reckoning
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the Sabbath; Sunday
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to pass the end of one's life
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one's luck will come
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nowadays
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it's too early to tell how things will turn out
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very late (in a particular situation)
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too late
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I look forward to that
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that is most unlikely to happen
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a time of success, recognition, power, etc
his day will soon come
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a struggle or issue at hand
the day is lost
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the ground surface over a mine
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( as modifier )
the day level
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without thinking of the future
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to stop work or other activity
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without respite; relentlessly
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gradually or progressively; daily
he weakened day by day
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every day and all day long
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from the very beginning
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at some future time
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(modifier) of, relating to, or occurring in the day
the day shift
Day
2
British
/ deɪ /
noun
day
Scientific
/ dā /
day
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of day
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English dæg; cognate with German Tag
Explanation
A day is a 24-hour period, or the length of time it takes the Earth to rotate fully on its axis. There are 365 days in a year, and 31 days in the month of January. Most work weeks last five days, and an ordinary weekend gives you two days of freedom before you go back to work or school. Day can also mean the opposite of night, or the time when the sun is up and you're awake. If your grandpa starts his stories with, "Back in my day..." he means an era or a period of time in the past. The Old English root, dæg, means both "day" and "lifetime."
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.
See Examples For:
“One day of training was equivalent to one week of training,” he added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
A festival slot does not guarantee that a movie will ever see the light of day with mainstream audiences, let alone get the wide theatrical release that “It Ends” is enjoying now.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
She first experienced severe sunburn on an overcast day in May 2025.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Treasury is not going to utilize its entire rainy day fund to fund its buyback program. This is not exactly Draghi-esque, a do-whatever-it-takes moment. This is not Ben Bernanke’s bazooka,” Brusuelas said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
“The animals should rest a full day before trying to cross the river,” argues Caesar.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
When Day and Fisher stop for a 90-second break to practice a dance they’ve been working on, they hear a voice scream out for help from the forest.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
But he emphasizes that “Cuba’s reconstruction must be funded by private-sector investment and Cuban diaspora capital—inside a disciplined, legally enforceable framework from Day One.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
She ended the decade on Norman Lear’s “One Day at a Time,” starring as Francine Webster opposite Bonnie Franklin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is still riding high in the North American box office, topping ticket sales for the fourth consecutive weekend in cinemas, but sharply down from last week's performance.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
He’d heard all the school rumors after Valentine’s Day.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
York was sentenced to two days in county jail, with credit for the day he has already served, and ordered to pay a $1,150 fine, the court file shows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Indeed, according to well-placed sources there has been a slight softening of Alvarez's stance in recent days, although not enough yet to get anyone at Arsenal excited.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Trump delayed their implementation by three days last week as Washington and Ottawa intensified talks towards a deal.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Novo Nordisk is asking a U.S. court to preliminarily halt rival Eli Lilly from advertising weight-loss drugs, days after accusing the Indianapolis drugmaker of using deceptive ads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
I have just six days to make my decision.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
