Fortnight Meaning
/ˈfɔːt.naɪt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA period of 2 weeks.
Sentence Examples
Derby Day is Wednesday fortnight.
We are taking a fortnight's holiday.
We will proceed with the hearing on Wednesday fortnight.
CEFR Practice Quiz
We are going on vacation for a ____, starting next Monday and returning two weeks later.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The family planned to spend a ____ at a relatively quiet beach resort during the summer holidays.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English fourtenyght, fourtene nyght, from Old English fēowertīene niht (literally “fourteen nights"; the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights), equivalent to fourteen + night. Compare sennight.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"On being kicked the girl fell desperately in love with Henri, and for a fortnight they lived together and spent a thousand francs of Henri's money."
— 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter I, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC:
"The “lame duck” Johnson Administration, in its final fortnight in office, grappled last week with a diplomatic hot potato in the form of the latest Soviet proposal for a “just and lasting” Middle East peace settlement."
— 1969 January 12, Benjamin Welles, “A Hot Potato for Nixon”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 Dec 2025:
"The NHS is bracing itself for its worst ever winter crisis descending in the next fortnight because of a worsening “flu-nami” that has left hospitals, GP surgeries and ambulances services under intense strain."
— 2025 December 12, Tobi Thomas, Denis Campbell, “NHS bracing for worst ever winter crisis in next fortnight amid rising flu cases”, in The Guardian:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
We are going on vacation for a ____, starting next Monday and returning two weeks later.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The family planned to spend a ____ at a relatively quiet beach resort during the summer holidays.