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:
Their control of ingredients, equipment and the production line became one of the company’s secret weapons: Because they are gluten-free and made in a peanut-free space, JonnyPops can be served at every birthday party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Tying a bow on all this is the news that its BritBox debut on Tuesday, Sept. 15, coincides with Christie’s birthday and the traditional day-after-Emmys launch of the fall season.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Devi has used many years’ worth of meager birthday savings to send away for college-admissions materials, which she has cherished “like secret and holy things” and stowed carefully under her cot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
However, most restaurant birthday offers are buy-one-get-one-free deals rather than completely free meals.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
She baked him a birthday cake, and the two of them ate it themselves when Mr. Garner and the twins were at football practice.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
He was taking whatever DJ gigs he could get—weddings, milestone birthdays and once a daycare center.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
So, based only on his current age of 80, Trump is likely to see eight more birthdays.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
That means the absence is not only felt physically, missing birthdays, school recitals, and holidays like Father's Day, but also emotionally.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
I’m proud to say that by the time my kids reached their 18 birthdays, they were thousandaires.
From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026
“Remember? We speak on birthdays and every Christmas. It was my birthday last weekend, you know.”
From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender
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.
