today
Americannoun
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todays
plural
-
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
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this day, as distinct from yesterday or tomorrow
-
the present age
children of today
adverb
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during or on this day
-
nowadays
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Scientists are still working to understand exactly how its volcanic history unfolded and how those early processes produced the world we see today.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
Indeed, today is the exciting launch of Surge 2.0.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2026
There will be other reasons why supportive MPs did not turn up today.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
"Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That's why we fight today," Trump said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
I hope Zara can join me today, especially since the meet’s just two weeks away.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The Glenwood Fire Department in Minnesota posted, “Please keep the blue lights shining to show our support of not only our local law enforcement, but also those affected by todays events!”
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
Sending love to all impacted by todays news and by how that news was delivered.
From BBC ● May 2, 2022
“Competitive products at a similar entry level price-point are offering up to a maximum of 4GB of VRAM, which is evidently not enough for todays games.”
From The Verge ● Jan. 19, 2022
Apparently this is a lost art in todays colleges.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2018
“Maybe,” Cady said slowly, glancing outside at the beautifully foggy morning, “maybe todays the day I’ll meet my family.”
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
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.
