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:
However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I plan to continue working until the end of the tax year — about 10 months after my 70th birthday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Usyk presented Trump with a signed boxing glove and the two men bonded over their love for the late Muhammad Ali, with whom Usyk shares a birthday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Kennedy marked his 90th birthday on Thursday and says his favorite topic of conversation is not the nine justices but his nine grandchildren.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
In 2018, shortly after his 22nd birthday, he signed for AC Milan, the sixth club of his career - while Italy became the fourth different country in which he had played.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
For today was the shop’s one hundredth birthday.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Among all large IPOs between 1975 and 2021, the shares of close to half were below their IPO price on their third birthdays.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 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
“I cater birthdays and bat mitzvahs,” she says.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
