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Mayday

American  
[mey-dey] / ˈmeɪˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. the international radiotelephone distress signal, used by ships and aircraft.

Mayday British  
/ ˈmeɪˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. the international radiotelephone distress signal

"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

Etymology

Origin of Mayday

First recorded in 1925–30; from French (venez) m'aider “(come) help me,” contraction of m(e) “me” ( me ( def. ) ) aider “to help” ( aid ( def. ) )

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.

Boylan himself called in a Mayday at 3:14 a.m. and jumped overboard, which prosecutors described as abandoning ship.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

In late January, after Mayday countersued in a federal court in New York, that court temporarily blocked South Dakota’s actions.

From Salon • Feb. 9, 2026

“In that case,” a pilot responded, “we declare emergency: Mayday. Mayday, Mayday.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

Mayday exploded into the Chinese-speaking market in 1999 with "positive rock music".

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2023

Mayday used to be a distress signal, a long time ago, in one of those wars we studied in high school.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

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.