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.
See Examples For:
While preparing for the country’s planned celebration of its 250th birthday, Trump decided to do a little housecleaning and update the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, vowing to make it better than ever.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
A large man comfortable in the spotlight, Lobga was the force behind numerous Tibet promotions, such as a 90-car rally to Philadelphia for the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The occasion for pointing this out is Social Security’s 91st birthday, which falls next week.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
"I would like the departments to work with healthcare professionals and look at diagnosis and clinical need and the expert opinions of medical professionals rather than age and a birthday," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Then I would write a little note saying that Mama had seen the person and wished her a happy birthday.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Every year, we give each of our daughters and sons-in-law $100 for their birthdays.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
So, based only on his current age of 80, Trump is likely to see eight more birthdays.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
But on birthdays, especially at Olive Garden, the calories didn’t count, and the extra Andes Mint I passed her — because I didn’t care for chocolate in my youth — could be savored.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
Last month, the families marked the girls' 11th birthdays - a hard moment as they see the girls' friends pass milestones.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
We didn’t have many traditions as a family, but chocolate pancakes on birthdays was one of them, and the one we were least likely to forget.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
