today

1 of 3

adverb

to·​day tə-ˈdā How to pronounce today (audio)
1
: on or for this day
2
: at the present time

today

2 of 3

noun

: the present day, time, or age
today's youth

today

3 of 3

adjective

: of or characteristic of today : now

Examples of today in a Sentence

Adverb We have to finish today. Earlier today I saw my cousin. I have an appointment later today. They announced today that he'll be promoted. I worry about children today. Today, more than a million people live there. Cars aren't built today like they were 30 years ago. Noun Have you read today's newspaper? live for today and let tomorrow worry about itself
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Clearly neither play would be chosen in today’s world, but at the time audiences greeted them both enthusiastically. Patricia Carrelli, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 New research examines menopause in these whales, with findings that may help explain why this phenomenon evolved, given that it is known in just six of the 6,000-plus mammal species living today. Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024 Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2024 In a memo today, CEO Sima Sistani said the stock price doesn’t reflect the company’s performance and that tradeoffs made in the near term would pay off in the way of future growth. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 The Penguins announced today that the shipment carrying the Jagr bobbleheads for tonight’s game has been stolen en route to Pittsburgh. TIME, 14 Mar. 2024 Cut to today, and brands like Versace, Etro, and McQueen have folded their menswear into their ready-to-wear shows. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024 Head straight to Amazon’s deals section to shop all the best sales happening today and leading up to the Big Spring Sale. Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Trousers that struck me as audaciously large yesterday looked correct today. Jonah Weiner, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'today.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of today was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near today

Cite this Entry

“Today.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/today. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

today

1 of 2 adverb
to·​day tə-ˈdā How to pronounce today (audio)
1
: on or for this day
2
: at the present time : nowadays

today

2 of 2 noun
: the present day, time, or age

More from Merriam-Webster on today

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!