noun
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an anniversary of the day of one's birth
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( as modifier )
birthday present
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the day on which a person was born
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any anniversary
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of birthday
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at birth, day
Explanation
Your birthday is the day of your birth! It’s the yearly anniversary that marks the day you were born. Not everyone celebrates, but a birthday is a good excuse for a party and cake. You can use birthday both to refer to the specific day of a baby's birth, and the annual marking of that day throughout the years that follow. Sometimes people talk about the birthday of a country, group, or even a building: "It's the art museum's fiftieth birthday next year." The Old English byrddæg originally referred to the celebration of a king or saint's birth, but over the years it was extended to include everyone.
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.
See Examples For:
Born Aug. 21, 1989, in Palisades, New York, Panettiere began appearing in commercials before her first birthday.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
She recently marked her birthday with a meal of her favourite food of Cornish sardines.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Cuba is hosting a weeklong celebration for Fidel Castro’s 100th birthday while the island struggles with a severe economic crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Now, on the eve of what would have been Hussle’s 41st birthday, the rappers are set to release their second collaborative project, an album titled “Prolific.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Hey. You should come on Tuesday. For Avery and my birthday thing. I’d like you to come.”
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Every year, we give each of our daughters and sons-in-law $100 for their birthdays.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
"For me that meant no bedtime hugs, no bedtime stories, no Christmases, no birthdays," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
So, based only on his current age of 80, Trump is likely to see eight more birthdays.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
But on birthdays, especially at Olive Garden, the calories didn’t count, and the extra Andes Mint I passed her — because I didn’t care for chocolate in my youth — could be savored.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
Not when they also all had matching birthdays.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
