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yesterday

YES-tur-day/ˈjɛstɚdeɪ/YES-tuh-day/ˈjɛstədeɪ/

4 meanings of yesterday

Practice

  1. 1
    when it happenedadverb
    During the day that came directly before today.

    The package arrived yesterday, earlier than we expected.

    They announced the election results yesterday afternoon.

    UsageBefore a part of the day: yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon; for the night, usually last night.

    Oppositetomorrow

  2. 2
    the day itselfnoununcountable
    The day directly preceding today, counted as one day in the past.

    Yesterday felt longer than any other day this week.

    She compared today's weather with yesterday's, noting the sudden drop.

    UsageCan be a subject or possessive: yesterday was rainy, yesterday's paper.

    Oppositetomorrow

  3. 3
    outdated pastnounfigurativelyuncountable
    The past considered as a time now gone, often with a sense of being outdated.

    That style of management belongs to yesterday, not the modern workplace.

    The town clung to the values of yesterday long after they stopped working.

    UsageOften possessive, meaning out of date: yesterday's technology, yesterday's news.

    Similarpast, yesteryear

    Oppositetomorrow, future

    Note

    Here the past becomes the place things are left behind. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, "all our yesterdays" light fools "the way to dusty death," and the plural there stands for a whole life already spent.

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    right awayadverbcolloquial
    As soon as possible; immediately, with strong emphasis on urgency.

    The client wanted the designs yesterday, so the team worked through the night.

    I needed that paperwork on my desk yesterday.

    UsageUsually want or need something done yesterday, a joke about urgency.

    Similarimmediately, now

    Note

    The joke is a deadline set in the past: the job is late before it has even begun. Its force comes from the impossibility.

    I want this done yesterday!

    I need it yesterday!

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English yesterday, from Old English ġiestrandæġ ("yesterday"), which breaks down as yester- plus day. It is related to Dutch gisterdag, dialectal German gestertag, and Swedish gårdag, all meaning "yesterday."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

  • Yesterday derives from Middle English yesterday, ultimately from Old English ġiestrandæġ. en.wiktionary.org
  • Old English ġiestrandæġ means yesterday. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Old English compound consists of elements corresponding to yester- and day. en.wiktionary.org
  • Yesterday is related to Dutch gisterdag, dialectal German gestertag, and Swedish gårdag, each meaning yesterday. en.wiktionary.org