yesterday
- Top 1000
Sense 1
- adverb
- A1
On the day that came just before today.
The parcel arrived yesterday, but nobody was at home to sign.
I met your sister at the bus stop yesterday by chance.
We finished painting the kitchen yesterday, so it still smells strongly.
He has been in bed with a high fever since yesterday.
Common collocations: yesterday morning · yesterday afternoon · yesterday evening · since yesterday · the day before yesterday · yesterday's newspaper
Part of: Days and months, Frequency and duration, Times of day
Sense 2 · less common
- noun
- C1
The time that has already gone by, especially the years not long past.
All those rules belong to yesterday and nobody follows them now.
The town still lives on the memories of its yesterdays.
Such machines are the technology of yesterday, not of today.
Common collocations: the world of yesterday · belong to yesterday · the fashions of yesterday
Part of: Days and months, Life events
Forms
- plural
- yesterdays