yesterday
Americanadverb
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on the day preceding this day.
-
a short time ago.
Yesterday your money went further.
noun
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the day preceding this day.
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time in the immediate past.
adjective
noun
-
the day immediately preceding today
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(often plural) the recent past
adverb
-
on or during the day before today
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in the recent past
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of yesterday
before 950; Middle English; Old English geostran dæg. See yester-, 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:
Rode my bike 21 miles on the beach yesterday in 95-degree weather.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Josh Kerr is pictured celebrating after he smashed the long-standing men's mile world record at the London Diamond League yesterday.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Views of just one of the wildfires ripping across Ontario, Canada yesterday.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
"There were many consultations yesterday and today. Of course, I hear what people are saying," Zelensky said in an evening address, adding that he had spoken with both Syrsky and Fedorov.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
A single child stood out from the rest—the red-shoed girl they’d seen walking with her mother on the road between forests yesterday.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The two candidates who advance to the general election would be wise to offer Californians a hope for the future that doesn’t call back to our yesterdays.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
As he put it on stage about being 73, “there’s a lot more yesterdays, and more goodbyes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
More important may be simply having a reason to remember some of the yesterdays of a franchise that has 48 rich years of history.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 28, 2023
“Thank you to everyone who has donated to @CalsAngels after yesterdays win! Thank you for making a difference against childhood cancer,” Gould tweeted.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 24, 2022
Syrupy sweet, each word sounding like the melodies I remember from many years of yesterdays.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
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.
