Saturday
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does Saturday mean? Saturday is the day between Friday and Sunday. In much of North and South America, where most countries (including the U. S. and Canada) consider the calendar week to begin on Sunday, Saturday is the seventh and final day of the week. In other places, including in much of Europe and Asia, the week is considered to begin on Monday, making Saturday the sixth day of the week. In parts of the Middle East and other places, the week is considered to begin on Saturday. Regardless of when the week officially begins, in many places Saturday is considered (along with Sunday) one of the two days that make up the weekend, during which many people do not work. In contrast, the other five days, Monday through Friday, are considered weekdays, which make up the workweek (or school week). In this sense, Saturday is not considered a weekday but a weekend day. Many people’s favorite day is Saturday because it’s the official start of the weekend, with another weekend day ahead of it. (Friday evening is often considered the unofficial start of the weekend, but Friday is still considered a weekday.) Like the weekend itself, Saturday is associated with rest, relaxation, and freedom from responsibility—along with the free time to do whatever one wants. In Judaism, Saturday is Shabbat (or the Sabbath), a day of rest and religious observance (technically lasting from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday). The word Saturdays can be used as an adverb meaning every Saturday or on Saturdays, as in I work Saturdays or The shop is only open Saturdays. To indicate the general time of day during which something will happen on a Saturday, the word can be followed by the general time, as in Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, and Saturday night. Example: I love a Saturday without plans, when I can do whatever I want all day.
Etymology
Origin of Saturday
before 900; Middle English Saturdai; Old English Saternesdæg, partial translation of Latin Sāturnī diēs Saturn's day; cognate with Dutch zaterdag, Low German saterdag
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 sale at Henry Aldridge and Son auction house will take place on Saturday.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
"Tehran has managed to set up a system that is sophisticated, decentralised, and remarkably difficult to disrupt without escalating into a full-scale maritime conflict," he added in a Saturday op-ed.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
The denunciation followed the latest reported death of a Mexican citizen, Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, who was found “unresponsive” Saturday at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
On Saturday, Fieri attended UFC 327 in Miami, where Carlos Ulberg defeated Jiří Procházka by first-round knockout to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
“Not to Deer Hill. I mean Arlington. Outside DC. Isn’t that only a couple of hours away? That tour stop is”—he zoomed his screen—“the twenty-third, the Saturday after the book releases.”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
