Commonwealth Day

American  

noun

1. a holiday observed in some countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, originally on May 24, the anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth, but now on varying dates.

---

Commonwealth Day British  

noun

1. Former name: Empire Day.  the anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth, May 24, celebrated (now on the second Monday in March) as a holiday in many parts of the Commonwealth

---

Etymology

Origin of Commonwealth Day

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Of all the tunes you would expect to hear at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, a Bollywood song isn't on the list.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

In recent weeks the King has been on a trip to Northern Ireland and also attended the Commonwealth Day service, which he missed last year after his diagnosis.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2025

King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales have attended the annual Commonwealth Day service, a year after both were forced to cancel because they were receiving cancer treatment.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2025

The theme of this year's Commonwealth Day is Together We Thrive, which celebrates the "enduring spirit of the Commonwealth family".

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2025

An innovation for this year's Commonwealth Day has been that the King has prepared his own personal playlist of favourite music tracks, by artists including Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue and Raye.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2025