English Reference

Word

week

US/ˈwik/

UK/wˈiːk/

Definitions

01seven days

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. a period of seven days in a row.

n. any period of seven consecutive days.

“I am going on holiday for a week starting tomorrow.”

“The project timeline was extended by a week to account for the unexpected delays in the supply chain.”

02calendar week

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. the seven days from Monday to Sunday (or Sunday to Saturday).

n. a period of seven days beginning with a specific day, typically Sunday or Monday, according to local calendar conventions.

“The first week of the month was very busy at the office.”

“Most European calendars display the week as starting on Monday, whereas North American formats typically begin with Sunday.”

03working days

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. the five days from Monday to Friday when most people work.

n. the portion of the week dedicated to professional labour, typically Monday through Friday.

“I usually try to finish all my chores during the week so I can relax on Saturday.”

“The company is trialling a four-day week to see if it improves employee productivity and mental well-being.”

Synonyms

workweek

Antonyms

04seven days from now

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun British English

n. a way to say 'seven days after' a specific day.

n. used after a day of the week to indicate a date seven days after that day.

“I will see you on Tuesday week for our next lunch.”

“The contract is set to expire on Friday week, so we must finalise the renewal before then.”

Usage

Typically follows the name of a day, as in 'Monday week'.

Collocations

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “week” in context.

01. week ago 02. week later 03. week after allegations 04. week of jury 05. week the first 06. week with temperatures 07. following week

Etymology

From Middle English wyke, weke, from Old English wiċe, wucu (“week”), from Proto-West Germanic wikā, from Proto-Germanic wikǭ (“sequence; week”), from Proto-Indo-European weyg-, weyk- (“to bend, curve”). Related to Proto-Germanic *wīkaną (“to bend, yield, cease”). Cognates Cognate with Scots ouk, oulk (“week”), Yola wick, wik (“week”), North Frisian waag, Week, weg (“week”), Saterland Frisian Wiek, Wíek (“week”), West Frisian wike (“week”), Bavarian Wochn (“week”), Cimbrian boch, bòcha (“week”), Dutch week (“week”), German Woche (“week”), German Low German Week (“week”), Limburgish waek, Wéëk (“week”), Luxembourgish Woch (“week”), Mòcheno boch (“week”), Vilamovian woch (“week”), Yiddish וואָך (vokh, “week”), Danish uge (“week”), Elfdalian wiku, wikå (“week”), Faroese and Icelandic vika (“week”), Jamtish vuku (“week”), Norwegian Bokmål uke (“week”), Norwegian Nynorsk veke, vika, viku, vukku, vuku (“week”), Scanian uga (“week”), Swedish vecka (“week”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌺𐍉 (wikō, “sequence; week”); also Cornish gwigh (“periwinkles, whelks”), Irish faocha, faochóg (“periwinkle”), Latin vicis (“alteration, turn; time”), Ancient Greek εἴκω (eíkō, “to yield”), Albanian vig (“bier, litter, stretcher”), Northern Kurdish avêtin, avitin, avîtin, havêtin, havîtin (“to cast, hurl, throw”), Persian آویختَن (âvixtan, “to hang, suspend”), بیختن (bēxtan / bixtan, “to sieve, sift”). Related also to Old English wīcan (“to yield, give way”), English weak and wick.

Imitative.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

ADJECTIVE

Related words

Idioms

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
Frequency
Very common
Level
A1 · BeginnerOxford
Updated

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