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Australia Day

American

noun

a legal holiday in Australia, the first Monday after January 25, commemorating the landing of the British in 1788.

Australia Day British

noun

a public holiday in Australia, commemorating the landing of the British in 1788: observed on the first Monday after Jan 26

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Thousands rallied for Indigenous peoples' rights on Australia's national holiday, Australia Day, which marks the 1788 arrival of a British fleet in Sydney Harbour.

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026

Beaches across Sydney were closed to protect the public until weather improved, many of which have reopened for the Australia Day public holiday long weekend.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

Australian police are investigating after a statue of Captain James Cook was covered in red paint and disfigured, ahead of the Australia Day weekend.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2025

Have your views of Australia Day — and how you mark the day — changed over time?

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2024

An incomplete Glossary of Australian terms and concepts which may prove helpful to understanding this book: Anniversary Day: Alluded to in the text, is now known as Australia Day.

From On the Track by Lawson, Henry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023