yesterday

American  

[yes-ter-dey, -dee] / ˈyɛs tərˌdeɪ, -di /

adverb

1. on the day preceding this day.

2. a short time ago.

   Yesterday your money went further.

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noun

1. the day preceding this day.

2. time in the immediate past.

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the day before or to a time in the immediate past.

   yesterday morning.

yesterday British  

/ -ˌdeɪ, ˈjɛstədɪ /

noun

1. the day immediately preceding today

2. (often plural) the recent past

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adverb

1. on or during the day before today

2. in the recent past

yesterday Idioms  

1. see not born yesterday.

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Other Word Forms

• yesterdayness noun

Etymology

Origin of yesterday

before 950; Middle English; Old English geostran dæg. See yester-, day

Example Sentences

I heard it playing from a food cart yesterday and it stopped me in my tracks!

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

"It was possible to run faster yesterday," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

“Indeed, the U.S. blockade is still in place, and yesterday Iran said they’d seized two commercial ships in the Strait,” he added.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Blevings added: "Information I received yesterday said it we see a resolution before the end of this month we may see a return to relative normality by quarter four".

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Was it possible that that had been only yesterday?

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom