birthday

American  

[burth-dey] / ˈbɜrθˌdeɪ /

noun

1. the anniversary of a birth.

2. the day of a person's birth.

3. a day marking or commemorating the origin, founding, or beginning of something.

4. the festivities or celebration marking such a day or anniversary.

---

birthday British  

/ ˈbɜːθˌdeɪ /

noun

1. 1. an anniversary of the day of one's birth

   2. ( as modifier )

      birthday present

2. the day on which a person was born

3. any anniversary

---

Etymology

Origin of birthday

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; birth, day

Example Sentences

“This doesn’t mean we should all be starting to worry the moment we have our birthday and we are suddenly 83 years old,” she says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her daughter Ye-won, a cello instructor, had just celebrated her birthday and was due to return from a short holiday in Bangkok.

From Barron's

They had all separately bought gift cards for her other brother's birthday from the same Tesco store within a week of each other, spending £120 in total.

From BBC

As the phone was passed around, he told them he might be back in time for his son’s birthday in a few weeks’ time.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s shortly before Christmas, and the 21-year-old is taking a young customer from Houston on a guided birthday shopping spree.

From The Wall Street Journal