weekend

1 of 3

noun

week·​end ˈwēk-ˌend How to pronounce weekend (audio)
Synonyms of weekendnext
: the end of the week : the period between the close of one work or school week and the start of the next
especially : Saturday and Sunday

weekend

2 of 3

verb

weekended; weekending; weekends

intransitive verb

: to spend the weekend
weekending in the country

weekend

3 of 3

adjective

: active in a specified role only on weekends or part-time
a weekend father
weekend athletes

Examples of weekend in a Sentence

Noun What are you doing this weekend? The office is closed on weekends. I'm going away for the weekend. She won a weekend in Cancun. Verb Her family weekends on the coast during the summer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Associated Press OSLO, Norway -- Crown Prince Haakon visited his father King Harald of Norway on Monday at the hospital, after the king's health deteriorated over the weekend, public broadcaster NRK reported. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 Lillian Smart, who lived in Ruston in northern Louisiana, died in the hospital over the weekend, shortly after turning 8, according to her parents. — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
Incognito Cocktail Bar in West Midtown hosts weekend DJ sessions and frequent events that draw crowds. — Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026 The Lobster Pound will be open daily through Columbus Day and then weekends perhaps until January. — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
Adjective
The least expensive, non-weekend, day-session grounds passes cost $65. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Mandalorian and Grogu in pre-weekend tracking is hoping to clear $80M-$100M over the four days. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 22 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for weekend

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1638, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1901, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of weekend was in 1638

Phrases Containing weekend

Rhymes for weekend

See All Rhymes for weekend

Browse Nearby Words

weekdays
weekend
weekend bag
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Weekend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weekend. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

weekend

1 of 2 noun
week·​end ˈwē-ˌkend How to pronounce weekend (audio)
: the end of the week
especially : the period between the close of one working or school week and the beginning of the next

weekend

2 of 2 verb
: to spend the weekend at a specified place

More from Merriam-Webster on weekend

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for weekend

Nglish: Translation of weekend for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of expeditious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All