weekend

[week-end, -end]

noun

1. the end of a week, especially the period of time between Friday evening and Monday morning.

   We spent the weekend at Virginia Beach.

2. 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.

3. 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

1. of, for, or on a weekend.

   a weekend pass; a weekend excursion.

verb (used without object)

1. to pass the weekend, as at a place.

   They weekended at their country place.

weekend

noun

1. 1. the end of the week, esp the period from Friday night until the end of Sunday

   2. ( as modifier )

      a weekend party

verb

1. informal,  (intr) to spend or pass a weekend

Word History and Origins

Origin of weekend¹

First recorded in 1875–80; week + end ¹

Example Sentences

He told a reporter that he went into the facility for training — he was going to livestream an ICE raid that weekend.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Another thing we do as a club is weekend trips.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Threat intelligence platform FalconFeeds said on X the customer data had been posted on the dark web over the weekend.

Read more on Barron's

On a weekend in mid-August, hundreds of inmates at a minimum-security prison in Bryan, Texas, were locked down during their usual time for strolling the grassy campus and visiting with family and friends.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It was Friday, and dockworkers in the port of the U.S.’s Pituffik Space Base had already gone home for the August weekend.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• carry 
• cross 
• cruise 
• drive 
• fly 
• go 
• migrate 
• move 
• proceed 
• roam 
• sail 
• tour 
• transmit 
• trek 
• vacation 
• visit 
• walk 
• wander 

When To Use

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.