field day

American  

noun

• field days
  plural

1. a day devoted to outdoor sports or athletic contests, as at a school.

2. an outdoor gathering; outing; picnic.

3. a day for military exercises and display.

4. an occasion or opportunity for unrestricted activity, amusement, etc..

   The children had a field day with their new skateboards.

---

field day British  

noun

1. a day spent in some special outdoor activity, such as nature study or sport

2. a day-long competition between amateur radio operators using battery or generator power, the aim being to make the most contacts with other operators around the world

3. military a day devoted to manoeuvres or exercises, esp before an audience

4. informal a day or time of exciting or successful activity

   the children had a field day with their new toys

5. 1. a day or series of days devoted to the demonstration of farm machinery in country centres

   2. a combined open day and sale on a stud property

---

field day Idioms  

1. A time of great pleasure, activity, or opportunity, as in The press had a field day with this sensational murder trial. This colloquial expression, dating from the 1700s, originally referred to a day set aside for military maneuvers and exercises, and later was extended to a similar day for sports and games. Since the early 1800s it has been used more loosely.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• field days
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of field day

First recorded in 1740–50

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

field day

Circuit Court of Appeals especially had a field day mangling this area of the law.

From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026

Jimmy Fallon will have a field day with that — if we survive the storm.

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2026

This might be a rare moment for stock-pickers to have a field day.

From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026

The stage has been having a field day satirizing the way we transform when we communicate impersonally through our devices.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025

You could’ve wandered around in this room for hours and had a field day looking at her stuff.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• anniversary
• commemoration
• competition
• fair
• feast
• gala
• holiday

---