day-to-day
Americanadjective
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occurring each day; daily.
day-to-day chores; day-to-day worries.
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concerned only with immediate needs or desires without preparation for the future.
adjective
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Also, from day to day.
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Continuously, without interruption, on a daily basis. For example, Running this office day to day is not an easy task . [Late 1800s]
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live from day to day . Be interested only in immediate concerns, without thought for the future. For example, Jean lives from day to day, planning nothing in advance . Also see live for the moment .
Etymology
Origin of day-to-day
Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200
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.
“The fact that we can just go to a general fan convention for horror, anime or comics proves that VHS collecting is alive and well,” says Le Moine, who runs day-to-day operations.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
I also feel like day-to-day expenses, such as coffee and lunch, are more flexible in New York City than in San Francisco.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026
"Mojtaba Khamenei appears to maintain broad oversight of decision-making, but nowhere near the same level of day-to-day management as his father, probably due to a combination of security concerns and physical incapacitation," said Sabet.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
Although politically sensitive, day-to-day cooperation between U.S. and Mexican security forces has never been better, senior officials from both countries say.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
With her relentless pursuit of freedom, she’d never actually stopped to think about what the day-to-day of it might be like.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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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.