weekday

American  

[week-dey] / ˈwikˌdeɪ /

noun

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

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adjective

1. of or on a weekday.

   weekday occupations.

weekday British  

/ ˈwiːkˌdeɪ /

noun

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

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Usage

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!

Etymology

Origin of weekday

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

Explanation

If it's not Saturday or Sunday, today is a weekday. Better get to bed early tonight — tomorrow's another weekday and you've got school! You can categorize every day of the week as either a weekday or the weekend. Monday through Friday are weekdays, which for most people means work or school. The word weekday can also be used as an adjective, to describe something that happens on one of these days, like your weekday routine or the weekday traffic on your commute. This word stems from the Old English wicudæge, and it originally meant "any day but Sunday."

Example Sentences

“We saw an 8.6% increase in weekday ridership compared to March 2024, suggesting that more people may be returning to rail for regular, work-related travel — not just occasional trips,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

Some universities are trying to add teaching during the week or transfer students to similar courses with weekday modules, so that students can continue to be eligible for loans in future.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

“Lilias, Yoga and You” aired on weekday mornings before “Sesame Street,” thus easily catching the attention of stay-at-home moms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Photographers and video crews were stationed outside the street level studio in Rockefeller Plaza where the program airs live each weekday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

It occurred to me that he was probably thinking he might never see me again, which he probably thought every single morning of his entire weekday life as he left for work, which probably sucked.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green