Boxing Day

American

[bok-sing dey] / ˈbɒk sɪŋ ˌdeɪ /

noun

(in the United Kingdom and many other members of the Commonwealth of Nations) the day after Christmas.

Boxing Day British

noun

the first day (traditionally and strictly, the first weekday) after Christmas, observed as a holiday

"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

Etymology

Origin of Boxing Day

First recorded in 1825–35

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.

Two days later, on Boxing Day, Grace, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was placed in a coma.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

Much of Aceh already had to be reconstructed with international assistance after 2004's Boxing Day tsunami, which killed more than 170,000 people in the province alone.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

United won 1-0 at home to Newcastle on Boxing Day, despite missing several injured players, including captain Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, with three more at the Africa Cup of Nations.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

They did beat Newcastle on Boxing Day - but now this.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

Dad called me into his office on Boxing Day and said he had something very important to give me, from my grandfather.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023