day
noun
the interval of light between two successive nights; the time between sunrise and sunset.
day
1 American
[day]
/ deɪ /
noun
-
days
plural
-
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
[day]
/ 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:
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the exercise showed Britain, France and their allies were stepping up preparation for the day when peace came to Ukraine.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Another brutal day for tech stocks left the Nasdaq-100 index in correction territory on Monday — marking its third drop of at least 10% from a recent peak this year.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
But in one of his boldest and strangest films—and, in its day, one of his least heralded—he marshaled his gifts for gigantism to tell a story of intimate scale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Throughout October and up to election day, Wild Up in L.A. has taken the lead in orchestral electoral activism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
I’ve gone weeks without seeing anything, and sometimes, I’ll have one every other day.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
In 2016, 40 women ran for Senate seats; of those, 15 won their primaries and competed on national Election Day.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
While acknowledging previous shocks like Liberation Day and the start of the Iranian crisis saw the sector go lower still, the risk-reward profile now favors an overweight call, says the team.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Here are some of the places to participate in the rich Mexican Day of the Dead tradition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Queen Camilla is with the King in Antigua, and they will attend a church service on Sunday morning ahead of joining celebrations to mark Independence Day on the island.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
On Christmas Day, 1696, a Portuguese relief force in the form of four ships, led by the heavily armed frigate the Santo Antonio de Tanna, arrived in the waters directly in front of the fort.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
People ask chatbots for everything these days, including financial advice and medical diagnoses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
It bottomed out a few days later, down 12% from its Oct.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
In July, Royal Navy warships and helicopters spent 21 days monitoring Russian activity in UK waters and the North Atlantic - this was a 25% increase on previous time spent monitoring.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
The city of Leipzig borders that state, and its historic Gewandhaus Orchestra marked the days preceding the election with a democracy weekend it called “Reading the Signs.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Two days after the accident, he takes a turn for the worse.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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