today
Americannoun
-
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
-
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:
“We are looking through short-term lithium price movements and investing in Kathleen Valley today, because an expanded, more efficient operation builds a more resilient Liontown through the cycle,” said Chief Executive Tony Ottaviano.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
It’s worth remembering that there’s no Eden from which journalism today has fallen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
But he was unsure whether the formula would work today because it was a "completely different time".
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The original ‘Star Trek’ premiered in 1966, and despite a rocky start, it endures and continues to inspire the franchise’s creatives, stars and fans who say its lessons are still relevant today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
“For your photograph. Get it taken today, and buy as many prints as you can.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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
This type of bill needs to be bipartisan, a swear word if there ever was one in todays Congress.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2017
“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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
