What does "day" mean?
The time when the Sun is above the horizon and it lights the sky.
Day
/deɪ̯/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The time when the Sun is above the horizon and it lights the sky.
- Grammar: day is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: daylight, daytime, solar day, 24 hours.
- Useful contrasts: overnight, months, natta.
- Usage evidence: It almost scared me not to see you online for a whole day.
How to use "day"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "day" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "day" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "day" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "day" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "day" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "daylight" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "day", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The time when the Sun is above the horizon and it lights the sky.
"day and night; I work at night and sleep during the day."
- 2 a period of opportunity wordnet
- 3 A period of time equal or almost equal to a full day-night cycle, being 24 hours long.
"Holonyms: week < megasecond < fortnight < month < year < gigasecond < century < kiloannum, kiloyear, millennium < terasecond < mega-annum, megayear < petasecond < giga-annum, gigayear < exasecond < zettasecond < yottasecond < ronnasecond < quettasecond"
- 4 a point or period in time wordnet
- 5 A period of time equal or almost equal to a full day-night cycle, being 24 hours long.; The time taken for the Sun to seem to be in the same place in the sky twice; a solar day.
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 the recurring hours when you are not sleeping (especially those when you are working) wordnet
- 7 A period of time equal or almost equal to a full day-night cycle, being 24 hours long.; The time taken for the Earth to make a full rotation about its axis with respect to the fixed stars; a sidereal day or stellar day.
- 8 time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis wordnet
- 9 A 24-hour period beginning at 6am or sunrise. informal
"Your 8am forecast: The high for the day will be 30 and the low, before dawn, will be 10."
- 10 a day assigned to a particular purpose or observance wordnet
- 11 A period of time between two set times which mark the beginning and the end of day in a calendar, such as from midnight to the following midnight or (Judaism) from nightfall to the following nightfall.
"The day begins at midnight."
- 12 the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside wordnet
- 13 The rotational period of a planet.
"A day on Mars is slightly over 24 hours."
- 14 the time for one complete rotation of the earth relative to a particular star, about 4 minutes shorter than a mean solar day wordnet
- 15 The part of a day period which one spends at one’s job, school, etc.
"I worked two days last week."
- 16 the period of time taken by a particular planet (e.g. Mars) to make a complete rotation on its axis wordnet
- 17 An observance lasting for a day, such as an annual holiday.
"Christmas Day"
- 18 an era of existence or influence wordnet
- 19 A specified time or period; time, considered with reference to the existence or prominence of a person or thing; age; time; era.
"every dog has its day; in that day; back in the day; in those days"
- 20 A period of contention of a day or less.
"The day belonged to the Allies."
Verb
- 1 To spend a day (in a place). intransitive, rare
"I nighted and dayed in Damascus town[.]"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as a patronymic derived from a medieval diminutive of David.
- 2 A Mbum-Day language of Chad.
- 3 An English surname originating as an occupation from day as a word for a "day-servant", an archaic term for a day-laborer, or from given names such as Dagr, Daug, Dege, and Dey, cognate with Scandinavian Dag.
- 4 A surname from Irish can be found as both Day and O'Day from Ó Deághaidh (“descendant of a person named Good Luck”).
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Modoc County, California.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place and unincorporated community in Lafayette County, Florida.
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Montcalm County, Michigan.
- 8 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Isanti County, Minnesota.
- 9 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Taney County, Missouri.
- 10 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Saratoga County, New York.
- 11 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Marathon County, Wisconsin.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"It almost scared me not to see you online for a whole day."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "day"?
Common synonyms include: daylight, daytime, solar day, 24 hours, 24-hour interval, abundant year.
How do you use "day" in a sentence?
It almost scared me not to see you online for a whole day.
How do you pronounce "day"?
Pronounced /deɪ̯/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ-? Proto-Germanic *dagaz Proto-West Germanic *dag Old English dæġ Middle English day English day Inherited from Middle English day, from Old English dæġ, from Proto-West Germanic *dag, from Proto-Germanic *dagaz (“day”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”). Cognates Cognate with Scots day, dei, dey, dy (“day”), Yola daie, dei, dey, die (“day”), North Frisian dai, doi, däi (“day”), Saterland Frisian Dai (“day”), West Frisian dei (“day”), Bavarian Dåg, Tåg (“day”), Central Franconian Daach (“day”), Cimbrian tag, tage (“day”), Dutch dag, dagge (“day”), German Tag (“day”), German Low German Dag, Dagg (“day”), Limburgish Daach, Daag (“day”), Luxembourgish Dag (“day”), Mòcheno ta (“day”), Vilamovian taog (“day”), West Flemish dag (“day”), Yiddish טאָג (tog, “day”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish dag (“day”), Faroese and Icelandic dagur (“day”), Norn dagh (“day”), Crimean Gothic tag (“day”), Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍃 (dags, “day”), Vandalic *dag- (“day”); also Breton deviñ (“to burn”), Cornish dewi (“to kindle”), Irish daigh (“fire, flame”), dóigh (“to burn, singe; sear, scorch”), Manx daah (“to scorch, singe; to cauterize”), Scottish Gaelic dòth (“scorch, singe; burn”), Welsh deifio (“to scorch, singe”), Latin foveō (“to warm, keep warm”), Greek τέφρα (téfra, “ash, cinder”), Albanian dhez, ndez (“to kindle, light”), Old Prussian dagis (“summer”), Armenian հրդեհ (hrdeh, “fire”), Sanskrit दह् (dah, “to burn, consume by fire, scorch, roast”).
Etymology 2
This surname has multiple origins. Besides the ones listed below, Norman origin has also been suggested from De Haie", or "a corruption of the Normandy French D'Ossone, from the town of Ossone, in Normandy".