day
/deɪ/ (bre, ipa) · [dˈe] /deɪ/ (ame, ipa) · [dˈe] /ˈdā/ (ame, mw)
day — noun
- daysingular
- daysplural
1. a complete cycle of 24 hours, running from one midnight to the next, used as the
a complete cycle of 24 hours, running from one midnight to the next, used as the basic time unit for calendars and schedules.
There are seven days in a week, from Monday to Sunday.
countable noun for calendar units
The wedding is in three days, and Anong still has not bought a dress.
Every day during the summer, the children swim at the lake.
It took the delivery van five days to travel from Taipei to Kaohsiung.
Camille counted the days until her grandmother arrived for a visit.
- 24-hour period
more technical, used in formal or scientific contexts
- full day
emphasises a complete cycle from morning to the next morning
- night
the dark half of a 24-hour cycle
文法句型
day + number (three days ago)
day + of + week/month
常見錯誤
2. the hours when the sun is up and there is natural light outside, as opposed to n
the hours when the sun is up and there is natural light outside, as opposed to night.
The park is open during the day and closes at ten at night.
during the day vs at night
Kwame prefers to work during the day because his eyesight is poor in dim light.
The birds sing loudly in the early hours of the day, just after sunrise.
Wren spent the whole day at the beach and got a bad sunburn.
As the day went on, the temperature climbed past thirty degrees.
- daytime
more precise synonym for the hours of light
- daylight
emphasises the presence of natural light
- sunlight hours
used for the period when the sun is above the horizon
- night
the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
- night-time
the dark hours when most people sleep
文法句型
during the day
by day
all day (long)
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1 (24-hour period), this sense refers only to the hours of natural light. 'During the day' contrasts with 'at night.' In some contexts 'by day' is used to emphasise the contrast: 'Owls sleep by day and hunt by night.'
常見錯誤
3. the hours that a person spends at work, at school, or doing their regular duties
the hours that a person spends at work, at school, or doing their regular duties, as opposed to free or rest time.
João's work day starts at eight in the morning and finishes at five.
work day / school day for regular schedule
A typical school day for Minho has six classes and one break for lunch.
After a long day at the office, Faisal likes to walk home along the river.
The night-shift nurse ends her day at seven in the morning.
Marta closed her laptop and said, "It has been a productive day."
- working day
specifically the hours spent at a job
- school day
the hours a student spends in class
- office hours
formal phrase for business opening times
文法句型
a long/busy/hard day
day at work/school
day off
用法筆記
Commonly used with adjectives such as 'long,' 'busy,' 'hard,' 'productive,' or 'tiring.' The phrase 'have a good day' is a standard farewell, but uses this sense loosely to refer to someone's overall experience rather than just their working hours.
常見錯誤
4. a day when a person does not have to go to work, attend school, or perform other
a day when a person does not have to go to work, attend school, or perform other normal duties, usually for rest or personal activities.
The shop is closed on Sunday because it is the owner's day off.
have / take a day off
Tamar took a day off from school to visit her sick grandmother.
After working twelve days in a row, Lakan finally got a day off.
Defne uses her day off to do gardening and bake bread.
Justin asked his manager for a day off next Friday to attend a wedding.
- day off work
emphasises absence from paid employment
- time off
broader term for any period away from work
- day of rest
slightly formal; used in religious or traditional contexts
- work day
a day spent at one's job
- school day
a day spent attending classes
文法句型
have/take/get a day off
day off from + noun
用法筆記
Unlike 'holiday' or 'vacation,' a 'day off' is usually a single day and is not necessarily part of an organised break. Employees may 'take a day off' for personal reasons.
常見錯誤
5. used in phrases like 'the other day' or 'a few days ago' to refer to an occasion
used in phrases like 'the other day' or 'a few days ago' to refer to an occasion in the recent past, without giving an exact date.
The package arrived a few days ago, but I have not opened it yet.
a few days ago for recent past
Anong told me about the new café the other day when we met for coffee.
João bought a bicycle a few days ago and rides it to work.
The power went out the other day, but it came back within an hour.
Defne started her new job a few days ago and is still learning the routines.
- recently
covers any recent time, not necessarily just days
- lately
implies ongoing relevance up to the present
- not long ago
more informal; emphasises short time since the event
文法句型
a few days ago
the other day
用法筆記
This sense is fixed in set phrases. 'The other day' is slightly informal and means 'a few days ago' without being precise. 'The other day' cannot refer to a specific named day (e.g., *'I saw her the other day, last Tuesday').
常見錯誤
6. a fixed expression (such as 'these days' or 'nowadays') pointing to the current
a fixed expression (such as 'these days' or 'nowadays') pointing to the current era, often used to highlight a difference from how things were before.
These days, most people use their phones to take photos instead of cameras.
these days / nowadays for present vs past
Children these days spend more time indoors than their parents did at their age.
Camille finds it harder to sleep well these days than when she was younger.
Food prices have gone up a lot these days compared to five years ago.
These days, you can study almost any subject online for free.
- nowadays
near-identical meaning; slightly more formal
- at present
formal; describes the current state without explicit past contrast
- currently
neutral register; used for ongoing situations
- in the past
refers to an earlier period
- back then
informal reference to a specific earlier time
- in those days
refers to a known past period
文法句型
these days
nowadays
用法筆記
Typically appears at the beginning of a sentence to set a temporal frame. 'Nowadays' is a near-synonym but sounds slightly more formal. Both expressions imply a contrast with an earlier period and are rarely used for one-off events.
常見錯誤
7. a time in someone's personal past, such as their youth or early working life, of
a time in someone's personal past, such as their youth or early working life, often remembered with nostalgia and used to contrast how things were then with how they are now
In my day, we learned to type on heavy typewriters, not on lightweight laptops.
collocation: in my day for personal past
My grandmother says that in her day, children walked to school through rain and snow.
collocation: in one's day
Back in my day, nobody owned a mobile phone until they were at least twenty.
The village was much quieter in those days, before the highway brought so many visitors.
- back then
more informal, spoken
- formerly
formal, often written
- at that time
neutral, less nostalgic in tone
文法句型
in + my/his/her + day
one's + day
in those days (for personal past)
用法筆記
Often carries a tone of nostalgia or contrast when comparing past habits with present ones.
常見錯誤
8. in the near future, before much more time passes; used to say that something wil
in the near future, before much more time passes; used to say that something will happen very soon, possibly within the coming two or three days
The repair team should arrive any day now to fix the broken heater.
any day now
One of these days, Omar will quit his job and travel the world.
one of these days
The exam results could appear any day, and students keep checking the website every morning.
The doctor said the test results would arrive any day now, so we are staying calm while we wait.
- shortly
formal, does not use 'day'
- soon
more general, any time in near future
- before long
slightly more formal
- ages away
informal, opposite of very soon
文法句型
any + day + (now)
one of these + days
these + days
用法筆記
Typically used with 'any day (now)' for imminent events, or 'one of these days' for something the speaker intends or expects to happen in the near future.
常見錯誤
9. used in phrases like 'by day' or 'during the day' to describe activities that ha
used in phrases like 'by day' or 'during the day' to describe activities that happen in daylight hours, especially when contrasted with what happens at night
Owls sleep during the day and go out to hunt after the sun goes down.
adverbial phrase: during the day (contrasted with after sunset)
By day, Jenna works as a nurse; at night she paints in her small studio.
by day ... at night
The night market comes alive after sunset, but the old temple is quiet during the day.
Rats usually hide during the day and come out to search for food after dark.
Wild cats usually sleep by day and look for food when it gets dark.
- daytime
interchangeable in most contexts
- daylight hours
emphasises the presence of natural light
文法句型
by + day
during the + day
all + day
用法筆記
Unlike sense 2 (daytime as a general concept), this sense is tied to adverbial phrases that explicitly contrast daylight activities with night-time ones. 'By day' and 'at night' are a common paired structure.
10. happening repeatedly every day, often in a way that feels boring, tiring, or unc
happening repeatedly every day, often in a way that feels boring, tiring, or unchanging
Day after day, Sahil sat at the same desk typing reports for the insurance company.
day after day
Noise from the construction site continued day after day, and neighbours could not sleep.
Nkechi practiced the violin day in, day out until she finally passed her music exam.
Eating the same lunch day after day felt very dull after about two weeks.
- repeatedly
neutral, less emotional
- continually
formal, emphasises lack of interruption
文法句型
day + after + day
day + in, + day + out
every + day
用法筆記
Frequently expresses a negative feeling of repetition or monotony, unlike 'each day' or 'daily', which are neutral.
常見錯誤
11. for the whole period from morning until night; continuing without stopping durin
for the whole period from morning until night; continuing without stopping during the daylight hours
The children played outside all day and came home with muddy shoes and happy smiles.
all day
Beatrix worked on her project all day long and finished it just before the deadline.
The store is open all day from seven in the morning until ten at night.
The rescue team worked day and night to find the lost hikers in the mountain forest.
Aiko stayed in bed all day because she had a terrible headache and felt dizzy.
- throughout the day
slightly more formal
- the whole day
interchangeable, slightly more emphatic
- at night
the opposite time period
文法句型
all + day + (long)
day + and + night
用法筆記
When used with 'day and night', the meaning extends to a full 24-hour period, emphasising continuous effort or activity.
常見錯誤
12. slowly and steadily, as time passes from one day to the next; used to describe a
slowly and steadily, as time passes from one day to the next; used to describe a gradual change or improvement over time
The patient's health improved day by day after surgery, and she was soon able to walk again.
day by day
Day by day, the young tomato plants grew taller and their leaves turned darker green.
Gabriel's Mandarin got better day by day through daily conversations with his classmates.
The city skyline changed day by day as the new skyscraper rose toward the clouds.
- gradually
more general, not tied to days
- little by little
informal, emphasises small steps
- steadily
focuses on consistency
文法句型
day + by + day
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 10 ('day after day'): 'day by day' describes gradual change or progress; 'day after day' describes boring repetition.
常見錯誤
13. used when something is not the same on different days; it keeps changing, especi
used when something is not the same on different days; it keeps changing, especially referring to weather, prices, feelings, or conditions that are not stable or predictable.
The weather changes from day to day here, so bring a jacket and umbrella.
phrase: from day to day with verbs of change (vary, shift, improve)
Brooke felt a little stronger from day to day after she started physical therapy.
Fruit prices at the market vary from day to day based on the harvest.
Minh can never predict his energy level because it changes from day to day.
- vary (from day to day)
'vary' focuses on the range of difference rather than instability
- remain the same
describes the opposite situation — no change between days
文法句型
from day to day
day to day
用法筆記
This sense typically pairs with verbs of change: 'vary', 'shift', 'improve', 'worsen', 'change'. It describes situations that are not stable rather than things that happen regularly.
常見錯誤
14. happening on every single day; used to describe the regular passage of days, dai
happening on every single day; used to describe the regular passage of days, daily routines, or progress that continues day after day.
Each day, Eve waters the small garden behind her apartment before breakfast.
adverbial phrase: each day placed at the start of a sentence
The old clock in the tower chimes every day at exactly twelve o'clock.
Noa writes in her journal each day to remember the little things that happen.
Defne walks her dog every day along the same path by the river.
- daily
'daily' is more formal and often used in writing or schedules
- never
opposite in terms of frequency — zero days out of all days
文法句型
each day
every day
用法筆記
Functions adverbially and commonly appears at the beginning or end of a clause. 'Every day' is more frequent in spoken English; 'each day' is slightly more formal or emphatic.
常見錯誤
15. a period of history or culture that existed long ago, describing social customs,
a period of history or culture that existed long ago, describing social customs, technology, or ways of living that are different from modern times
In those days, people sent letters instead of emails or text messages.
phrase: in those days for referring to a past era
In the old days, most people worked on farms and grew their own food.
Back in the day, this street was full of small shops and busy weekend markets.
In the old days, houses had no electricity and people used candles after dark.
During the old days, farmers used horses and oxen to plough their fields.
文法句型
in those days
in the old days
back in the day
in + historical + days
用法筆記
Use 'in those days' for a past era in general, 'in my day' for a personal past period (often contrasted with how things are now), and 'back in the day' informally for a nostalgic past. 'In my day' can sound old-fashioned or disapproving when comparing past and present.
16. still happening or still true now, even after a long time has passed since somet
still happening or still true now, even after a long time has passed since something began or happened; continuing up to the present moment.
To this day, no one knows who wrote that famous unsigned poem.
fixed phrase: to this day for situations that continue into the present
This old stone bridge has stood here for centuries, still in use to this day.
To this day, Andrés cannot eat spicy food after getting sick from bad clams.
Jason keeps his grandfather's old pocket watch in a drawer to this day.
- no longer
describes something that has stopped after a period of time
文法句型
to this day
用法筆記
Usually appears at the beginning or end of a clause to emphasise continuity. Often used with negative or surprising statements — something that has NOT changed despite the passage of time.