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.
Jose-Luis Saavedra had remained closely involved in day-to-day operations despite his age, often spending from sun-up to sun-down at the factory.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
More than 90% of the UK's day-to-day internet traffic travels via these undersea cables.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
“So day-to-day stuff becomes way more overwhelming and high stakes than it needs to be.”
From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026
That dynamic shows up in day-to-day consumer behavior.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 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
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.
