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workday

workday

13 1.0
The number of hours a person is expected to work in a day
  • noun
  • /ˈwɜrkˌdeɪ/
translation icon : jornada laboral
  • My workday usually starts at 9 AM and ends at 5 PM, giving me a full eight hours of work.
  • an eight-hour workday
  • a twelve-hour workday
  • workdays lost

Examples

  • Thus, attending a meeting can take up four to five hours of time during a workday.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Ford revolutionized the workday by changing to an 8-hour workday with three shifts per day.

    Academic text (2012)
  • At the same time, he cut the workday from nine hours to eight hours.

    Blog text (29)
  • Hence, the workers' chief objective was not higher pay but a shorter workday.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Turner was generally in favor of the expansion of rights for all, including an eight-hour workday.

    Academic text (2011)
  • He's for the eight-hour workday, fair income tax, better schools.

  • A ten-hour workday in a five-day work week is very normal for academia.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Some goals were not racially specific: an eight-hour workday, free immigration for all races, and distribution of land among veterans.

    Academic text (1999)
  • My pleasure reading is decidedly non-fiction, as my workday is spent copyediting and proofreading fantasy, mostly.

    Blog text (24)
  • The cost of excessive absences and misuse of workdays lowers overall efficiency.

    Academic text (1998)

Synonyms

shift
vsworkday
542 2.1

A period of work during which people do a job

is about the full daily amount, not any one assigned period or team
day shift
vsworkday
12 2.2

A period of work during the day, usually from morning to afternoon, or the workers who work then

refers to the required daily time rather than a specific daytime period
work day
vsworkday
6 1.0

A day when someone usually works at their job

emphasizes hours required within that day rather than the day itself
work time
vsworkday
4 2.4

The hours when a person must work for their job

focuses on the amount of time required in a single paid day
hours
vsworkday
3 1.0

Times when someone works or is scheduled to work

describes the overall daily required amount rather than unit measurement
work shift
vsworkday
2 2.3

A period of time when you are scheduled to work, for example morning or night

focuses on the total daily required time rather than a scheduled segment
working day
vsworkday
1 2.0

The hours an employee must work in one day for normal pay

is an alternative common term that means the same thing

Antonyms

12 2.0

Free time when you are not working and can relax or do things you like

How Long

overtime
20 2.7
long day
133 2.0
workday
13 1.0
half-holiday
  • UK
1 4.1

Surface Forms

workday singular
workdays plural

Morphology

workday = work + day (transparent) = work + day

The sense referring to the amount of working time is a direct extension of 'work' + 'day' and is readily inferable.

Etymology

Workday also comes from work + day, and it can mean the 'amount of time' you work in a single day, which is why we talk about a seven-hour or eight-hour workday.