heyday

¹ American  

[hay-day] / ˈheɪˌdeɪ /

Or heydey

noun

• heydays
  plural

1. the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime.

   the heyday of the vaudeville stars.

2. Archaic. high spirits.

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heyday ² American  

[hay-day] / ˈheɪ deɪ /

interjection

Archaic.

1. (used as an exclamation of cheerfulness, surprise, wonder, etc.)

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heyday British  

/ ˈheɪˌdeɪ /

noun

1. the time of most power, popularity, vigour, etc; prime

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• heydays
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heyday heydays

Comedian Dane Baptiste, the first black British comic nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award, remembers hearing Ali G catchphrases everywhere during the character's noughties heyday.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

The artificial-intelligence boom is driving a once-in-a-generation surge in electricity demand that should translate to a heyday for utilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Hartnett stands out among the roster of stubborn, uncompromisingly masculine leading men from his heyday, proving that there’s much more to winning over an audience than simply playing into the public’s perception.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

Though the culture never disappeared since the heyday of cruising in the 1980s and 1990s, interest in lowriding has surged in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

He worked as he had in his heyday.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

I’m seeing people get excited about these bands that were never popular in their heydays, which is kind of cool, but also funny.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026

In some ways, the current versions of the Seahawks and Patriots are reminiscent of both of their heydays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026

Volkswagen is trying to tap some of that nostalgia in its latest push to regain the status and sales it enjoyed in the United States during the Beetle’s and Microbus’s heydays in the 1960s.

From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

You’ll meet athletic European Millennials wearing multicoloured sunglasses, grey-haired US retirees with epic adventure tales from their ’70s heydays, and everyone else in between — including eager-to-learn alpine virgins like myself.

From National Geographic ● Apr. 16, 2023

Even in heydays of poverty, and poor as she was, you know, notwithstanding our true love for each other, and close intimacy, I never could induce Lucy to receive a cent.

From Miles Wallingford Sequel to "Afloat and Ashore" by James Fenimore Cooper

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