day-to-day

1 of 2

adjective

1
: taking place, made, or done in the course of days
in charge of day-to-day operations
also : everyday
day-to-day life
2
: providing for a day at a time with little thought for the future
an aimless day-to-day existence
day-to-day adverb
or day to day
struggling day-to-day [=every day] with depression
living day to day [=one day at a time]
… it's impossible to live with devastation day to day and not look on all the concern over one still-healthy individual as a vulgar spectacle. Robert Massa

day-to-day

2 of 2

noun

plural day-to-days
: a usual routine that occurs each day
… a feeling of hope and adventure that many of us lack in our day-to-day.Nathan Mattise
But the woman is fearless, living life in a perpetual state of curiosity despite her repetitive day-to-day.Alex Suskind

Examples of day-to-day in a Sentence

Adjective the day-to-day routine of commuting to work
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Adjective
Unlike more labor-intensive businesses, self-storage requires fewer employees, less day-to-day management, and little ongoing maintenance. Melissa Houston, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 Behind the Scenes Our team of eight testers wore their shoes for 1,345 hours — walking, hiking, and going about their day-to-day activities. Trina Gray, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
The actress is all about staying active in her day-to-day life, and likes to get some of that movement in while gardening. Jacqueline Tempera, Women's Health, 21 Mar. 2023 Unique Coach CitySole technology optimizes comfort and flexibility within these shoes, and the low-top design is both stylish yet wearable for whatever your vacation or day-to-day life may have in store. Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for day-to-day 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of day-to-day was in 1862

Dictionary Entries Near day-to-day

Cite this Entry

“Day-to-day.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/day-to-day. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

day-to-day

adjective
ˈdāt-ə-ˌdā
1
: taking place, made, or done in the course of days
day-to-day problems
2
: providing for a day at a time with little thought of the future
a day-to-day existence
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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