birthday

[ burth-dey ]

/ ˈbɜrθˌdeɪ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR birthday ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the anniversary of a birth.

the day of a person's birth.

a day marking or commemorating the origin, founding, or beginning of something.

the festivities or celebration marking such a day or anniversary.

Words nearby birthday

birth parent, birth rate, birth trauma, birth weight, birth-control pill, birthday, birthday honours, birthday suit, birther, birthing, birthing ball

Origin of birthday

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at birth, day

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for birthday

They had three years together before Ziad left to do his compulsory military service, leaving on her birthday, April 4, 2001.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a result, while Newton was born on December 25, 1642 in England, his birthday was January 4, 1643 everywhere else.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Trolls Christians on Christmas|Ben Jacobs|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Spaniard by birth, Victor Serna left home shy of his 14th birthday and entered the monastery to become a Marist brother.
Obama’s One Hand Clap With Castro|Doug McIntyre|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Recently a woman successfully crowdfunded to pay off a $360 trip taken on her 26th birthday.
In Defense of Uber’s Awful Sydney Surge Pricing|Olivia Nuzzi|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So, happy 20th birthday to this proudly silly fashion classic.
Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress|Tim Teeman|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The preface to the third edition also bears the date of his birthday.
Boswell's Correspondence with the Honourable Andrew Erskine, and His Journal of a Tour to Corsica|James Boswell
Angelina Braid, on the morning of her third birthday, woke very early.
The Golden Scarecrow|Hugh Walpole
Her birthday was the third of last month and she was sixty-two.
L'Assommoir|Emile Zola
It was Mrs Kedge's birthday, when her family always dined with her at her old-fashioned hour of five.
The Pillars of the House, Vol. II (of 2)|Charlotte M. Yonge
She was desirous of completing it before the next morning, which was that of her aunt's birthday.
Thomas Wingfold, Curate|George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for birthday

birthday

/ (ˈbɜːθˌdeɪ) /

noun

an anniversary of the day of one's birth
(as modifier)birthday present

the day on which a person was born

any anniversary

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