Bastille Day

American

noun

July 14, a national holiday of the French republic, commemorating the fall of the Bastille in 1789.

Bastille Day British

noun

(in France) an annual holiday on July 14, commemorating the fall of the Bastille

"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

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.

Being on a lizard’s knee had become a tradition as much as Bastille Day.

From Literature

He has fond memories of attending France's Bastille Day celebrations during his first presidential term.

From BBC

Britain's Simon Yates won stage 10 of the Tour de France on Bastille Day as Ben Healy became the first Irish rider to claim the yellow jersey for 38 years.

From BBC

"To be free in this world, you must be feared. To be feared, you must be powerful," he said in the speech, which fell on the eve of Bastille Day.

From BBC

The 72-year-old was named knight of the Legion of Honour on a list announced ahead of France's Bastille Day.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023