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:
Oh, last time you were in here, you mentioned a birthday, or you worried about your mother being sick,’” Morrison said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Apply for benefits up to four months before your 70th birthday to avoid processing delays.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The government quoted one woman with the pseudonym "Turtle" as saying she tried the app "as a last chance" as she approached her 40th birthday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
As they celebrate America’s 250th birthday, they are also contemplating the relevance of their orientation to the nation’s conception of itself.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 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
Among all large IPOs between 1975 and 2021, the shares of close to half were below their IPO price on their third birthdays.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
"For me that meant no bedtime hugs, no bedtime stories, no Christmases, no birthdays," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 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
On her birthdays, she would test for whatever license she was finally old enough to have.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
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.
