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
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:
“I looked for stories that nearly everyone today would agree were good decisions, even though many disagreed at the time,” Ellis says.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
"For us today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed," Domenicali said.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Also today: Wall Street usually knows what the Fed will do, but Chair Kevin Warsh’s tight-lipped posture makes today’s decision unusually hard to predict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
But today he wants to mostly talk baseball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The only thing I can think about is the fact that today, someone’s world will end.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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
“They are not wrong. It’s hard to talk about the possibility of tomorrow when your todays are still torn apart.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2022
First picture of Julian Assange Fiancee Stella Moris in her wedding dress ahead of todays Belmarsh Wedding.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 23, 2022
“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.
