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
Etymology
Origin of birthday
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.
Cox hopes to mark his 80th birthday in June with a party in the UK, but fears his US commitments might make that tricky.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
The U.S. is celebrating its 250th birthday this year, but baseball has been embedded in the fabric of the country for far longer than that.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Instead, he siphoned the money into a personal slush fund, leased a Manhattan apartment, renovated a lakefront property and spent $3,000 on a birthday dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, according to the indictment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
As a child, she wished for fame every time she blew out her birthday candles.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
“Hey, so, Tadeo’s going to Ana Lopez’s birthday party tomorrow.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
