national holiday
Americannoun
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a holiday that is observed throughout a nation.
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a holiday that is legally established by a national government rather than by a municipal or state government.
Etymology
Origin of national holiday
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
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.
So sure had the hosts been of progressing with a draw, their government had already declared the following day a national holiday.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Closed Monday for a national holiday and briefly insulated from heavy selling elsewhere, the South Korean stock market reopened Tuesday to heavy losses.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026
The group also reportedly plans to appeal to lawmakers to declare Buddha's birthday - called Vesak - a national holiday - but their expedition has gained traction beyond this policy request.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026
Thousands of people rallied in cities across Australia demanding justice and rights for Indigenous peoples on Monday, a national holiday marking the 1788 arrival of a British fleet in Sydney Harbour.
From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026
As the plane began its descent over Boston Harbor, the pilot announced the weather and time, and that President Nixon had declared a national holiday: two American men had landed on the moon.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
