Meaning & use
weekend
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Meanings
nouncountable
Saturday and Sunday, especially when you do not work or study.
Grammar: Use 'at the weekend' (British) or 'on the weekend' (American).
Patterns
- at the weekend
- on the weekend
- this weekend
- next weekend
We're going to the beach this weekend.
She works every weekend at the hospital.
What did you do at the weekend?
verbintransitiveinformal
To spend the weekend somewhere or doing something.
Grammar: Informal; often used with 'in' or 'at'.
Patterns
- weekend in a place
- weekend at a place
We weekended in the countryside.
They like to weekend at the lake.
Word forms
| plural | weekends |
|---|---|
| third person singular | weekends |
| past tense | weekended |
| past participle | weekended |
| -ing form | weekending |
Common combinations
- long weekend
- We have a long weekend because of the holiday.
- weekend break
- They took a weekend break in Paris.
- weekend job
- He has a weekend job at a café.
- over the weekend
- I'll finish the report over the weekend.
Synonyms and how they differ
- days off
- Can refer to any days you don't work, not only Saturday and Sunday.
- break
- A general period of rest; 'weekend' is specifically Saturday and Sunday.
Opposites
Word family
- weekender noun
- A person who spends weekends away from home, or a small bag for weekend trips.
Commonly confused: weekend or weekday?
weekend vs weekday
Weekday means Monday to Friday; weekend means Saturday and Sunday.
Practice
Which is correct in British English?
Choose one answer.
In British English, 'at the weekend' is the standard phrase. 'On the weekend' is more common in American English. 'In the weekend' and 'by the weekend' are not used in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “weekend”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.