heyday
1 Americannoun
-
the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime.
the heyday of the vaudeville stars.
-
Archaic. high spirits.
interjection
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of heyday1
1580–90; variant of high day, apparently by confusion with heyday 2
Origin of heyday2
1520–30; rhyming compound based on hey; replacing heyda < German hei da hey there
Explanation
A heyday is a peak of popularity or success. If you hear someone say "Hey! Back in the day, I was the best boxer in the city! No one could beat me!" he might be remembering his heyday as a fighter. If you remember a time in the past when you were doing something really well or getting a lot of attention or fame, you might be reminiscing about your heyday. A person or an organization — and even a thing — can have a heyday, or a peak time when everything goes well. The good news is that a heyday can come again and again, so while your heyday as student president might be just a memory, there might be a heyday as governor of your state years later.
Vocabulary lists containing heyday
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Wonder
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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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.
In its heyday, this allowed Strategy to regularly sell stock to buy more bitcoin.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
I don’t know if you know what’s happening, but I’m in the heyday of my career right now.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
These days, frontman Fred Durst looks more Robert Plant than skater boy, but his energy levels haven't dipped since their late-90s heyday.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
Victory at Sea was a big deal in its heyday.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
Since its heyday as a planter’s mansion, parts of the house had been used as an army bunker, a birthing hospital, and a goat barn.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
