weekday

weekday — noun

1. one of the five working days of the week, from Monday to Friday, when most peopl

1.nounA2
Definition

one of the five working days of the week, from Monday to Friday, when most people go to work or school

Example

The library is open every weekday from eight in the morning until six.

collocation: every weekday

Quinn walks to school on weekdays because the bus is too crowded.

collocation: on weekdays

Common collocations
  • on weekdays
  • every weekday
  • weekday morning
  • weekday afternoon
  • weekday evening
  • weekday schedule
Synonyms
  • workday

    Often refers to the hours you work in a day, not the day itself (e.g., 'an eight-hour workday'). Can be used as a synonym for weekday in American English.

  • business day

    More formal term used in commercial and legal contexts; excludes public holidays as well as weekends.

Antonyms
  • weekend

    Saturday and Sunday, the two non-working days at the end of the week.

Usage Note

Commonly contrasted with weekend (Saturday and Sunday). Typical phrases are 'on weekdays' and 'every weekday'. 'Weekday' also combines with time words to form compounds like 'weekday morning' or 'weekday evening'.

Common Mistakes

I go to work in weekdays.
I go to work on weekdays.
Use the preposition 'on' (not 'in') before 'weekdays'.

Word family

  • weeknight
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'weekday' refers broadly to Monday through Friday and contrasts with the weekend, 'workday' has two meanings: it can mean the same as weekday, but often refers specifically to the part of the day when you work (e.g., 'an eight-hour workday'). 'Business day' is a more formal term used in commercial and legal contexts to refer to days when businesses are open, and it typically excludes public holidays as well as weekends. For everyday conversation, 'weekday' is the most natural choice: 'I go to the gym on weekdays.' If you mean the hours you work, use 'workday': 'My workday starts at nine.' For official deadlines or banking, use 'business day': 'The refund will arrive within five business days.'

weekday ↗workdaybusiness day

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • every weekday
  • on weekdays

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Weekday comes from Old English 'wicedæg' (week + day). It originally meant any day of the week, especially one that was not a religious holiday. The contrast with 'weekend' became common in the early 1900s, giving the word its modern meaning of Monday through Friday.