workday
Americannoun
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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.
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.
"This is not to let you rest, it's to make you spend money," one user wrote, while another argued authorities should first enforce an eight-hour workday and a five-day week.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
By removing writing from reporters’ workloads, we’ve effectively freed up an extra workday for them each week.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
After her program, she softly pumped her fist as if it was just another successful workday.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026
The curry is served with a bed of aromatic Basmati rice, making it a hearty yet easy meal to enjoy for workday lunches and weeknight dinners.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026
At the end of the workday Cora staggered and Nag rushed to steady her.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
