daylight saving

American  

Or daylight savings

noun

1. the practice of advancing standard time by one hour in the spring of each year and of setting it back by one hour in the fall in order to gain an extra period of daylight during the early evening.

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Etymology

Origin of daylight saving

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

As a result proposals to end the twice-yearly clock change have repeatedly stalled, and there are currently no plans to alter daylight saving in the UK.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

A 2025 Gallup poll found that the majority of Americans say they are ready to do away with the time shift, with 48% preferring standard time year round and 24% preferring daylight saving year round.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

Congress amended the law in 1986 to begin daylight saving time on the first Sunday in April and end it on the last Sunday of October.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

And yet I see little hope of resolution, largely because the broader debate over daylight saving time is weirdly toxic and confused.

From Slate • Oct. 31, 2025

There was once a state legislator in Wisconsin who objected to the introduction of daylight saving time despite all the good arguments for it.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos