workday
Americannoun
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workdays
plural
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a day on which work is done; working day.
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the part of a day during which one works.
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the length of time during a day on which one works.
a seven-hour workday.
adjective
noun
adjective
Usage
What does workday mean? A workday is any day that you work. Most commonly, workday refers to one of the days in the workweek, the span of (often five) days that are not the weekend and when many people work. The standard workweek is from Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday being considered the weekend, though working schedules vary widely. Many full-time jobs involve a 40-hour workweek consisting of five eight-hour workdays. In this sense, workweek refers to all the time spent working in a week, and a workday refers to the hours spent working in a day. Workday sometimes refers just to the part of the day that you work, as in After the workday, I like to unwind by taking a walk around the lake before I go home for the night. The word workday is sometimes used to distinguish it from other nonwork days during a certain period, as in My vacation is 11 days away—and only eight workdays!The workweek can also be called the working week, and a workday can also be called a working day. Workday is sometimes used as an adjective meaning commonplace, ordinary, or everyday, as in It has average, workday features—nothing special. The variant workaday is more commonly used to mean the same thing. Example: My workday consists of catching up on emails for the first hour or so, and then I’m in meetings for several hours, leaving me an hour or two to get some actual work done.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of workday
1400–50; late Middle English werkday, Old English weorcdæg. See work, day
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:
Throwing on “Real Housewives” or “Love Island” is a guilty pleasure for many of us after a tiring workday.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Clippers fans also deserve more than having their parking picked up until an hour before gametime, on one rainy workday, on late notice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
For now, they’ve got me thinking about my blood pressure, and realizing that I need to start each workday with a big, deep breath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
When 3 in the afternoon rolls around on a particularly bad workday, you’re in desperate need of a fun sweet treat to get you out of the slump.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Dorothy Vaughan was more likely to run into her former colleagues in the Langley cafeteria or the parking lot than to see them during the workday.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
"Even in peacetime conditions, the quarters are cramped, the workdays are long, the food is not great, and it's difficult to get fresh air, exercise and even a decent night's sleep," Schroden said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
In Viv Chen’s interview with Tory Burch, the designer compares her workdays to being “like an athlete where it’s about discipline and grit and endurance.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
Maintaining a faster pace to tackle more tasks results in longer workdays.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2026
Participants were randomly assigned to take either solriamfetol or a placebo on workdays over a four-week period.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 1, 2026
Accustomed to their mother’s long workdays and their father’s extended absences, they missed Dorothy, but her departure didn’t interrupt their high-spirited lives replete with family, friends, and school.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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