Good Friday

American

noun

the Friday before Easter, a holy day of the Christian church, observed as the anniversary of the Crucifixion of Jesus.

Good Friday British

noun

the Friday before Easter, observed as a commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus

"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

Good Friday Cultural

The Friday before Easter Sunday; a day on which Christians (see also Christian) commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus. Good Friday means “holy Friday.”

Etymology

Origin of Good Friday

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English

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.

Three decades later, after the Good Friday Accords were signed and the Troubles largely receded into memory, there were no such objections.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

The term "dissident republicans" describes a range of individuals who do not accept the Good Friday Agreement.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

The U.S. stock market was closed the next day for Good Friday.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

The market optimism also followed unexpectedly strong U.S. jobs data released last Friday, when major indexes were shut for the Good Friday holiday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Martin Luther King, Jr., had been confined to a Birmingham, Alabama, jail cell since Good Friday, April 12, arrested in a fierce effort to integrate that city’s lunch counters and other facilities.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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