today
Americannoun
-
this present day.
Today is beautiful.
-
this present time or age.
the world of today.
adverb
-
on this present day.
I will do it today.
-
at the present time; in these days.
Today you seldom see horses.
adjective
noun
-
this day, as distinct from yesterday or tomorrow
-
the present age
children of today
adverb
-
during or on this day
-
nowadays
Etymology
Origin of today
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English tō dæg; see to, day
Explanation
Use today to mean this day, right now—not yesterday, and not tomorrow. If your big science project is due today and you haven't even started, you'd better get busy! Today can also mean "at the present period of time." When someone says, "Kids spend too much time online today," they mean "nowadays," or "lately," not literally on this exact day. Before the 16th century, today was two separate words, to day, and then for another three hundred years or so, it was hyphenated: to-day. But today, we simply use today.
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.
“Schmigadoon!” wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for nostalgia for a time when musicals were not just more popular but also often fresher and more inventive than they are today.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
By those standards, today we would be surrounded by conscious machines.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
But he felt it was time for a modern revision, a Southern Gothic fever dream that reflects the complexities of life today.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
"I was just working on it today, actually. I'm writing a part for you already!" he joked.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
“You kids make sure to say a proper goodbye to your grandmother. She’s going back home—later today, right?”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
