yesterday

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/ˈjestədeɪ/
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The day before today, or a past time compared with the present.
Practice using yesterday in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Yesterday was colder than today.
  • Yesterday was Sunday.
  • We talked yesterday morning.
  • The music of yesterday still moves us.
  • The new design made the old one seem so yesterday.

Similar words

outmoded
the previous day
old-fashioned
the past
dated
former times
the day before

Meanings

On the previous day

adverb
time
neutral
On the day immediately before today.

Examples

  • I saw her yesterday.
  • They arrived yesterday.
  • Were you at home yesterday?
  • It rained yesterday evening.
  • We talked yesterday morning.

Similar words

the day before

The previous day

noun
time
neutral
The day immediately before today.

Examples

  • Yesterday was Sunday.
  • The meeting was yesterday.
  • Yesterday was colder than today.
  • The letter had arrived by yesterday.
  • What day was yesterday?

Similar words

the previous day

The recent past

noun
time
neutral
A time in the past that is compared with the present.

Examples

  • The music of yesterday still moves us.
  • The workers of yesterday built this bridge.
  • She remembers the friends of yesterday.
  • The problems of yesterday shaped today's choices.
  • Those ideas belong to yesterday.

Similar words

the past
former times

Old-fashioned

adjective
fashion
informal
No longer new or fashionable, said lightly or humorously.

Examples

  • That old phone is so yesterday.
  • Their website looks so yesterday now.
  • That style is so yesterday.
  • She joked that paper tickets were so yesterday.
  • The new design made the old one seem so yesterday.

Similar words

dated
old-fashioned
outmoded

Etymology

From Old English giestran dæg, joining geostran, 'yester-', with dæg, 'day'.

FAQ

What does yesterday mean?

Usually, the day before today.

Can yesterday be an adverb?

Yes. 'I left yesterday' tells when I left.

Can yesterday be a noun?

Yes. 'Yesterday was Sunday' names the preceding day.

Can yesterday mean the past?

Yes. 'The music of yesterday' means music from an earlier time.

What does 'so yesterday' mean?

It humorously says that something is no longer fashionable.

What is the difference between yesterday and today?

Yesterday is the preceding day; today is the current day.

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