diary

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A book with blank pages where you write about your daily life, thoughts, or feelings.

   Grammar: Countable: one diary, two diaries. Often used with 'keep a diary' or 'write in a diary'.

   Patterns

   • keep a diary
   • write in a diary
   • a diary entry

   She keeps a diary and writes in it every night before bed.

   His diary revealed how lonely he felt during that year.

   I found my old diary from high school and read a few pages.

2. 2nouncountableBritish

   A book or digital tool used to plan and record appointments and events; a calendar or planner.

   Grammar: Countable: especially common in British English. In American English, 'calendar' or 'planner' is more usual for this sense.

   Patterns

   • check your diary
   • put something in your diary
   • a busy diary

   I'll check my diary and let you know if I'm free on Tuesday.

   She has a very busy diary this week, with meetings every day.

   Let me put the appointment in my diary.

Word forms

Common combinations

keep a diary

He kept a diary during his travels around Asia.

write in a diary

She writes in her diary every evening.

a diary entry

The final diary entry was dated just before the accident.

check your diary

I'll check my diary and get back to you.

a personal diary

A personal diary is meant to be private.

Synonyms and how they differ

journal

More formal and often suggests a record kept for reflection or as a literary form, not just daily events.

log

A record of events, often official or technical, such as a ship's log or a work log.

calendar

In American English, this is the usual word for a planner or schedule; diary in this sense is mainly British.

Word family

diarist noun

A person who keeps a diary, especially one who publishes it.

Commonly confused: diary or dairy?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “diary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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