weekend
Americannoun
-
the end of a week, especially the period of time between Friday evening and Monday morning.
We spent the weekend at Virginia Beach.
-
this period as extended by one or more holidays, days off, or the like, that immediately precede or follow.
We're getting a three-day weekend at Christmas.
-
any two-day period taken or given regularly as a weekly rest period from one's work.
I have to work at the hospital on Saturdays and Sundays, so I take my weekends on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
adjective
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Usage
What does weekend mean? The weekend is most commonly considered the period between Friday evening and the end of Sunday.More strictly speaking, the weekend is thought to consist of Saturday and Sunday (often regardless of whether the calendar week is considered to begin on Sunday or Monday).In practical terms, the weekend is typically considered to be the period between the end of the workweek (or school week) and the beginning of a new one—which is why most people consider their weekend to start on Friday night, after work or school.Of course, not everyone works a Monday-to-Friday schedule. A person who normally works on the weekend (on Saturday and Sunday) will probably consider any two-day stretch that they don’t have to work as their weekend.Any additional days off on either side of a weekend are often considered part of the weekend. For example, a day off for a holiday on Friday or Monday will result in a three-day weekend. Or you could take off on Monday and Tuesday for a long weekend.Weekend can also be used as an adjective in reference to something that happens on a weekend (as in a weekend session), lasts only for a weekend (as in a weekend trip), or only applies during a weekend (as in weekend hours).Much less commonly, weekend can be used as a verb meaning to spend a weekend somewhere, as in We like to weekend in the Hamptons. This sense can sound a bit fancy or even pretentious (the same thing can be said about summer when it’s used as a verb).The word weekends can be used as an adverb meaning every weekend or on or during weekends, as in I work weekends, so I always miss my son’s Saturday games.Example: I spent the weekend at the beach, but now I have to go back to work.
Etymology
Origin of weekend
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.
Sun Drop Dayz – a community fundraiser with live music and activities – has been held on the first weekend of June since 2017.
From BBC
His own seed and nut farm - which had managed to stay open during bushfires and the pandemic - couldn't afford keep its usually popular artisan shop open, even at the weekend.
From BBC
The Carney-led delegation departs Thursday for India, for meetings over the weekend in Mumbai with business leaders, and then he is expected to be in New Delhi on Monday to sit down with Modi.
His team reached out to my team — I was like, “Is every other country artist not in town this weekend? Is that why I’m getting the call?”
From Los Angeles Times
The weekend-to-work transition became less painful, too: Mondays were like an airlock between my weekend downtime and my workweek of meetings and calls.
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.
