Fourth of July

American  

noun

1. Independence Day.

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Fourth of July British  

noun

1. Official name: Independence Day.  a holiday in the United States, traditionally celebrated with fireworks: the day of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776

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Fourth of July Cultural  

1. The day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1776; Independence Day.

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Etymology

Origin of Fourth of July

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

Example Sentences

Last year, I changed the Fourth of July menu because the day before I caught a 180-pound bigeye tuna and that was the dinner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Byers said he kept the gun for self-defense and only fired it on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July in celebration.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

“On a holiday? Could be hours,” responds Dana, a veteran who knows better, as the Fourth of July shift enters afternoon hours.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

This season again has each episode dedicated to a single hour during a shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room, and now looks at the chaos that unfolds there during the Fourth of July.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

They were coming the evening of the Fourth of July and that meant Lily would have to cut short her fun at the beach with her friends and get back in time for dinner.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English