bank holiday
Americannoun
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a weekday on which banks are closed by law; legal holiday.
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British. a secular day on which banks are closed, obligations then falling due being performable on the following secular day.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bank holiday
First recorded in 1870–75
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.
Anger about the "disgusting" scenes at a beach following a busy bank holiday weekend has sparked calls for people to take responsibility for their litter.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
James Webber, recycling and infrastructure manager at Vale of Glamorgan council, said the heatwave and bank holiday meant it was a "gold weekend" for Barry Island.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
People have been urged to stay away from a flooded quarry where the water has a pH level "comparable to bleach", following a surge in visitors over the bank holiday weekend.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
People have been urged to take precautions near water after at least eight people, mostly children, drowned over the bank holiday weekend while trying to stay cool during the heat wave.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
Eventually I decorated my topi with bracken fronds, after the fashion of 'Arry at Burnham Beeches on the August bank holiday.
From Birds of the Indian Hills by Dewar, Douglas
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.
