English

yesterday

gb/jˈɛstɚdˌeɪ/ us/jˈɛstɚdˌeɪ/
A1 English
~ 600
Senses
0 senses
adverb A1 relation
1

On the day before today

On the day before this day.

Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'yesterday' with 'the other day', which refers to a recent but unspecified day in the past.
Synonyms
the day before (A more explicit phrase with the same meaning; slightly more formal in some contexts.)
Antonyms
tomorrow (Refers to the day after today, opposite in time.)
Collocations
yesterday morning |yesterday afternoon |since yesterday |yesterday evening
Themes
time |daily life |core_vocabulary
Examples
  • I met her for coffee yesterday.
  • It rained heavily yesterday.
  • We finished the project yesterday afternoon.
  • Yesterday was my birthday.
  • They moved into their new house yesterday.
Learner examples
  • I saw my friend yesterday.
  • It was sunny yesterday.
  • We played football yesterday.
  • Yesterday I went to the park.
  • She called me yesterday.
Noun A1 entity
2

The day before today

The day that came before this day.

Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget to use the possessive form 'yesterday's' when describing something belonging to that day, e.g., 'yesterday meeting' instead of 'yesterday's meeting'.
Synonyms
the previous day (A slightly more formal or descriptive way to refer to the same concept.)
Antonyms
tomorrow (The day after today, opposite in sequence.)
Collocations
since yesterday |yesterday's news |yesterday's meeting
Themes
time |daily life |core_vocabulary
Examples
  • Yesterday was a public holiday.
  • I can’t believe yesterday went by so quickly.
  • Yesterday’s game was exciting.
  • We talked about it yesterday.
  • Yesterday marked our first anniversary.
Learner examples
  • Yesterday was Sunday.
  • I was at school yesterday.
  • Yesterday was very cold.
  • We had a party yesterday.
  • Yesterday was busy.
Grammar
Dictionary form
yesterday
IPA
GB/jˈɛstɚdˌeɪ/
US/jˈɛstɚdˌeɪ/
Syllables & stress
yes - ter - day (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (yes)
Word forms
Noun
  • Base: yesterday
  • Plural: yesterdays
Word family
Forms
yesterdays noun
Related words
today adverb A1 tomorrow adverb A1
Expressions

as if it were yesterday

1
/ˈæz ˈɪf ˈɪt wɚ jˈɛstɚdˌeɪ/
idiom

Remembering vividly and clearly

To remember something very clearly, as if it happened very recently.

Examples
  • I remember our first meeting as if it were yesterday.
  • She recalls the accident as if it were yesterday.

since yesterday

1
/sˈɪns jˈɛstɚdˌeɪ/
fixed phrase

From yesterday until now

Starting on the day before this one and continuing until now.

Examples
  • I have had a headache since yesterday.
  • She has been waiting for a reply since yesterday.

yesterday's news

1
/jˈɛstɚdˌeɪz njˈuz/
idiom

Something outdated or irrelevant

Something that is no longer interesting or important because it is old information.

Examples
  • That story is yesterday's news now; people have moved on.
  • He was once famous, but now he's just yesterday's news.

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