weekday

[ week-dey ]

/ ˈwikˌdeɪ /

Save This Word!

noun

any day of the week except Sunday or, often, Saturday and Sunday.

adjective

of or on a weekday: weekday occupations.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of weekday

before 900; Middle English; Old English wicdæg.See week, day

Words nearby weekday

weeds, weedy, Wee Free, wee hours, week, weekday, weekdays, weekend, weekend bag, weekender, weekends

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT WEEKDAY

What is a weekday?

A weekday is any day that is not a weekend day.

Since the weekend is considered to consist of Saturday and Sunday, the weekdays are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. (Even though Friday evening is sometimes considered the start of the weekend, Friday is still considered a weekday.)

The evenings of weekdays are called weeknights.

The word week most commonly refers to any period of seven consecutive days, or to the seven-day period on the calendar that begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday. However, in weekday and weeknight, it refers to the five-day period that’s often considered the workweek or school week. The standard workweek is from Monday through Friday, though working schedules vary widely. Days of the workweek can be called workdays. Weekdays are usually (but not always) workdays or school days.

For this reason, terms like weekday and weeknight are typically used—instead of just saying day or night—to distinguish them from the days and nights on the weekend.

The word weekdays can be used as an adverb meaning on weekdays—Monday through Friday. The word weekends can be used as an adverb in the same way, as in We’re open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but we’re closed weekends.

Example: I don’t usually like to be out so late on a weekday, but I couldn’t miss this!

Where does weekday come from?

The first records of the word weekday come from before the 900s. The seven-day week dates back thousands of years, and the concept of the week being divided into working days and nonworking days is also very old. The seven-day week appears in the Biblical account of creation, which introduces the idea of a rest day.

If weekdays are workdays or school days for you, you probably have strong opinions about each one. People famously hate Mondays and love Fridays, with Wednesdays being seen as a hopeful halfway point to the weekend. Tuesday might be the worst weekday, though—it’s still days away from Friday without any of the leftover glow from the weekend. And Thursdays just wish they were Fridays.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to weekday?

weekdays (plural noun, adverb)

What are some words that share a root or word element with weekday?

What are some words that often get used in discussing weekday?

How is weekday used in real life?

The word weekday is typically used to distinguish a day as being part of the workweek as opposed to one of the weekend days.

I would gladly trade 2 hours from every weekday for 10 hour longer weekend.

— 𝚁𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝙻 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚜𝚘𝚗 (@justRichardLee) December 6, 2020

How come 11 am on a weekend and 11am on a weekday feel extremely different sunshine-wise

— Mir 🦀 (@MinamGarcia) December 7, 2020

I just wanna know what family actually eats breakfast together on a weekday?? Every movie makes it like it happens all the time

— Bailey Dunks (@BayDunks7) December 5, 2020

Try using weekday!

True or False?

Tuesday is the worst weekday.

How to use weekday in a sentence

I know I shouldn’t sleep with my phone, but I do, and because it’s right there, the very first thing I do every weekday is read the Quartz Daily Brief.
Introducing new emails for Quartz members|Katherine Bell|August 1, 2021|Quartz
Every weekday, she would set off with him strapped in the front row of the bus.
What Philadelphia Reveals About America’s Homicide Surge|by Alec MacGillis, photography by Hannah Price/Magnum Photos, special to ProPublica|July 30, 2021|ProPublica
The Live Concert Series on Wilson Plaza, which runs through the week before Labor Day, features entertainers every weekday at noon.
Where to find free outdoor concerts in the D.C. area|Fritz Hahn|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
By the time my now husband and I tried to reschedule, every summer weekend and most summer weekdays were gone.
2021 Could Be the Biggest Wedding Year Ever. But Are Guests Ready to Gather?|Eliana Dockterman|May 29, 2021|Time

On a recent weekday, many local residents were leery of talking about their town and the situation with police.
Hurting in Windsor: How a viral police pepper-spray incident has illuminated racial tensions in a small Virginia town|Gregory S. Schneider|April 15, 2021|Washington Post
A couple years ago, I was walking one weekday morning down Court Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn and came upon Robin Williams.
When I Met Robin Williams in Afghanistan|Matthew Kaminski|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Washington D.C., he could ride an 80 bus to the Capitol, early on a weekday morning.
What Paul Ryan Gets Wrong About ‘Inner-City’ Poverty|Jamelle Bouie|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To beat the crowds, booking a ticket for a weekday afternoon is the best bet.
Digital Nomad Andrew Evans’s Six Top Travel Tips|Nina Strochlic|March 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Every weekday morning at 7:45 a.m., I make my 11-year-old daughter's school lunch.
The Global School Lunch Project|David Frum|December 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Every weekday morning we will ask readers of the blog to weigh in on our Daily Poll on Facebook.
Introducing the Daily Poll|Ryan Prior|February 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
These adornments were of course for Sunday wear; no weekday clothes were worn on Sundays then.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
The old gentleman, her father, I have heard, used to atone for his weekday sins with his Sunday devotions.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
It was an immense luxury to everybody, this lying in bed just beyond the ordinary time on a weekday.
Sons and Lovers|David Herbert Lawrence
He had said he would, but had dawdled skillfully and was still unfitly in bare feet and the shabby garments of a weekday.
The Wrong Twin|Harry Leon Wilson
Religion thus becomes a Sunday business, and Sunday business is kept separate from weekday business.
Herein is Love|Reuel L. Howe

British Dictionary definitions for weekday

weekday

/ (ˈwiːkˌdeɪ) /

noun

any day of the week other than Sunday and, often, Saturday

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012