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.
We ended up getting to bring my brother and his best friend to celebrate his 40th birthday, so it sort just worked out for all of us.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026
Still, there are grounds for hope as America’s 250th birthday approaches.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
For the final show June 14, he began the early evening program with “Fog,” which had been his 90th birthday present to Frank Gehry.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026
For his birthday week, Prince William was joined by his wife at Royal Ascot for the first time since 2023.
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026
I tried not to think about my destiny too much, but on my birthday I always did.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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.
