within the last week

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "within the last week" is grammatically correct and can be used in written English.
It is often used to refer to a specific time period in the recent past. Example: John has been feeling ill within the last week and has missed a few days of work as a result.

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The term "Within the last week" was replaced with "In the last seven days".

Disability and Rehabilitation

Virus detection within the last week was defined as a positive sample at the current or last study contact and a lag time ≤14 days.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

"He did so within the last week or so".

The Guardian

And he did so within the last week or so".

The Guardian

It was apparently only within the last week or so that the financing commitment came together.

The New York Times

But within the last week, there were clear signs of battle preparations.

The New York Times

CNN also named replacements for two important positions vacated within the last week.

The New York Times

He said the government had discussed its goals with Bayer within the last week.

The New York Times

"Within the last week we're starting to see things come together," Hillman said.

The New York Times - Sports

Within the last week Walsh, through his agent Steve Kauffman, asked Dolan for permission to interview with other teams.

The New York Times - Sports

"We are staffing up now because within the last week and a half, our contributions have gone up," he said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "within the last week" to specify a timeframe when you need to emphasize that something occurred in the very recent past, especially when contrasting it with events from a more distant past.

Common error

Avoid using other prepositions like "at" or "on" in place of "within" when specifying this timeframe. "Within" accurately conveys that the event happened at some point during that period.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "within the last week" functions as an adverbial phrase of time, specifying when an action or event occurred. It modifies a verb or clause, indicating a timeframe in the recent past. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

42%

Science

38%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Reference

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "within the last week" is a grammatically correct and very common adverbial phrase used to specify that an event has occurred at some point during the seven days preceding the present. As Ludwig AI has indicated, this phrase appears frequently in "News & Media" and "Science", making it suitable for both neutral and formal contexts. When using this phrase, be sure to emphasize recency and avoid using alternative prepositions such as 'at' or 'on'. Consider alternatives like "in the past week" or "during the previous week" to create variation in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in the past week

Replaces "within" with "in" and changes the word order slightly while maintaining the same meaning.

just this past week

Adds emphasis to the recency of the event, highlighting that it occurred very recently.

during the previous week

Substitutes "last" with "previous" and "within" with "during", emphasizing a completed week.

over the last seven days

Specifies the timeframe as seven days instead of a week, providing more precision.

in the course of the last week

Adds emphasis to the duration of the week, highlighting that something happened throughout that period.

in the week prior

Uses "prior" to indicate the week before the current one, providing a slightly more formal tone.

during the last several days

Highlights the events happened in the last few days.

recently

Offers a general term for something that occurred not long ago, without specifying the exact timeframe.

in recent days

Suggests a timeframe shorter than a full week, implying something happened over the course of a few days.

lately

Similar to "recently", but can imply a longer period than just the last week.

FAQs

How can I use "within the last week" in a sentence?

You can use "within the last week" to indicate an event that has occurred at some point during the seven days before the present. For example, "The company's stock price has fluctuated significantly "within the last week"."

What can I say instead of "within the last week"?

You can use alternatives like "in the past week", "during the previous week", or "over the last seven days" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "in the last week" instead of "within the last week"?

While both are generally acceptable, "in the last week" is more common. "Within the last week" can emphasize that the event occurred at some unspecified point during that period.

What's the difference between "within the last week" and "within the past week"?

The phrases are largely interchangeable. "Within the past week" might slightly emphasize a retrospective viewpoint, while "within the last week" focuses on the most recent seven-day period.