day job

noun

One's principal job; one's regular means of income.

Opposite
night jobside jobside gigside hustle
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Meanings

nounday job (plural day jobs)

plural day jobs · alternative dayjob · alternative day-job

  1. One's principal job; one's regular means of income.

    Antonyms: night job, side job, side gig, side hustle

Synonyms & antonyms

nounOne's principal job; one's regular means of income.

Opposite
night jobside jobside gigside hustle

Origin

From day + job, reflecting the archetypal form: one's job during the daytime, as contrasted with a second job that one works at night, on the night shift or graveyard shift.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

day job. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/day%20job

MLA

“day job.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/day%20job. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “day job,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/day%20job.

Source: day job on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.