Meaning & use
biweekly
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Happening once every two weeks.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a biweekly meeting. Also used after a verb: The meeting is biweekly.
Patterns
- a biweekly event
- biweekly pay
The team holds a biweekly meeting on alternate Mondays.
She receives biweekly payments from her part-time job.
Our biweekly newsletter comes out every other Friday.
adjectivebefore a noun
Happening twice a week.
Grammar: Less common than the 'every two weeks' meaning; context usually makes it clear.
Patterns
- a biweekly visit
The doctor recommended biweekly check-ups, so I go on Tuesdays and Fridays.
They have biweekly staff meetings every Monday and Thursday.
adverb
Once every two weeks.
Grammar: Often placed at the end of a sentence: The magazine is published biweekly.
Patterns
- published biweekly
- meet biweekly
The journal is published biweekly, so issues arrive every other week.
We meet biweekly to review progress.
adverb
Twice a week.
Grammar: Less common; if ambiguity matters, say 'twice a week' instead.
Patterns
- take medication biweekly
She takes the medication biweekly, on Mondays and Thursdays.
The class meets biweekly, twice each week.
Common combinations
- biweekly pay
- Many companies offer biweekly pay, meaning employees are paid every two weeks.
- biweekly meeting
- Our biweekly meeting is scheduled for every other Wednesday.
- biweekly newsletter
- The club sends out a biweekly newsletter to keep members informed.
- published biweekly
- The magazine is published biweekly, so it comes out twice a month.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fortnightly
- Mainly British; means every two weeks and is not ambiguous, so it is clearer than biweekly.
- semiweekly
- Means twice a week; use this instead of biweekly when you want to avoid confusion.
Commonly confused: biweekly or semiweekly? biweekly or bimonthly?
biweekly vs semiweekly
Semiweekly means twice a week, while biweekly usually means every two weeks. They are often confused because both can describe frequency.
biweekly vs bimonthly
Bimonthly means every two months or twice a month, so it is not the same as biweekly.
Practice
The committee meets ______ to discuss the budget, so they gather every other Tuesday.
Choose one answer.
Biweekly fits because the meeting happens every other week. Semiweekly would mean twice a week, bimonthly would mean every two months or twice a month, and daily would mean every day, none of which match 'every other Tuesday'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “biweekly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.