Sabbath

American  

[sab-uhth] / ˈsæb əθ /

noun

1. the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as the day of rest and religious observance among Jews and some Christians.

2. the Sabbath, the first day of the week, Sunday, observed by most Christians as a day of public worship and often of rest.

3. any special day of prayer, worship, or rest.

4. Often sabbath a day or other period of rest or break from certain forms of activity.

   If people gave themselves a weekly sabbath from electronic devices, it would probably cure many ills.

5. Sometimes sabbath Sabbat.

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Sabbath British  

/ ˈsæbəθ /

noun

1. the seventh day of the week, Saturday, devoted to worship and rest from work in Judaism and in certain Christian Churches

2. Sunday, observed by Christians as the day of worship and rest from work in commemoration of Christ's Resurrection

3. (not capital) a period of rest

4. Also called: sabbat.   witches' Sabbath.  a midnight meeting or secret rendezvous for practitioners of witchcraft, sorcery, or devil worship

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Sabbath Cultural  

1. The holy day of rest and reflection observed each Saturday among the Jews. This custom fulfills the fourth of the Ten Commandments (“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”). The Sabbath commemorates the last of the seven days of Creation as described in the Book of Genesis, the day God rested from his labors of creating the heavens and the Earth.

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Discover More

Christians have traditionally kept Sunday as a weekly day of rest in adaptation of the Jewish observance, and in commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Some denominations, such as the Seventh-Day Adventists, observe Saturday as the Sabbath.

Other Word Forms

• Sabbathless
  adjective
• Sabbathlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Sabbath

First recorded before 900; Middle English sabat, sabadt, sabath, Old English sabat, from Latin sabbatum, from Greek sábbaton, from Hebrew shabbāth “rest”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sabbath

The city has been awash with fans cloaked in black - wearing T-shirts in tribute to Osbourne or Black Sabbath - visiting sites in the city most connected to the heavy metal icon.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

For observant Jews, the Sabbath, or Shabbos, isn’t a wellness experiment; it’s a divine commandment that forms a cultural backbone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Appeared in the July 17, 2026, print edition as 'The Sabbath Is a Chance to Read Again'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has said despite needing to use a wheelchair he is not "ill or giving up" and resolved to "keep rocking until I'm dead".

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

I changed to my Sabbath school clothes and walked into the parlour.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Related Words

• day off
• rest day