holiday
noun
a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or in honor of some person.
Showing results for holiday.
Search instead for
holi days.
holiday
1 American
[hol-i-dey]
/ ˈhɒl ɪˌdeɪ /
noun
-
holidays
plural
-
a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or in honor of some person.
-
any day of exemption from work (distinguished from working day).
-
a time or period of exemption from any requirement, duty, assessment, etc..
New businesses may be granted a one-year tax holiday.
-
a religious feast day; holy day, especially any of several usually commemorative holy days observed in Judaism.
-
Chiefly British. Sometimes holidays. a period of cessation from work or one of recreation; vacation.
-
an unintentional gap left on a plated, coated, or painted surface.
adjective
-
of or relating to a festival; festive; joyous.
a holiday mood.
-
suitable for a holiday.
holiday attire.
verb (used without object)
-
holidays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
holidayed,
past participle, past
-
holidaying
present participle
Holiday
2
American
[hol-i-dey]
/ ˈhɒl ɪˌdeɪ /
noun
holiday
1
British
/ ˈhɒlɪˌdeɪ, -dɪ /
noun
-
(often plural)
-
US and Canadian word: vacation. a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation
-
( as modifier )
a holiday mood
-
-
a day on which work is suspended by law or custom, such as a religious festival, bank holiday, etc
verb
Holiday
2
British
/ ˈhɒlɪˌdeɪ /
noun
holiday
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
holidaysimple
-
holidayssimple
-
have holidayedperfect
-
has holidayedperfect
-
am holidayingprogressive
-
are holidayingprogressive
-
is holidayingprogressive
-
have been holidayingperfect progressive
-
has been holidayingperfect progressive
Past
-
holidayedsimple
-
had holidayedperfect
-
was holidayingprogressive
-
were holidayingprogressive
-
had been holidayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of holiday
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English hāligdæg; equivalent to holy + day
Explanation
A holiday celebrates a person, anniversary, religious belief or other occasion. You might observe the Indian holiday of Holi, and take a week off of work to celebrate with your family. A holiday is an occasion recognized by the state or federal government and marked on calendars, like Thanksgiving in the United States. Most holidays are celebratory and fun, and just about all of them mean no work or school. You can also take a holiday, or vacation. Holiday comes from "holy" and "day," meaning a religious festival, and the word was even pronounced that way until the sixteenth century.
Vocabulary lists containing holiday
Memorial Day Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Easter Vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Passover Vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks was wrapping up her holiday break this January when she noticed a message on her phone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
There was a stylized poster of Che Guevara celebrating a little-known holiday on Oct.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
He also announced major changes to working holiday visas for those aged 18 to 30 years old who can work in Australia for 12 months, but can extend for a second and third year.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Operating on tighter budgets, Nastro expects some consumers to skip trips home for Thanksgiving to save money for a December flight, or opt out of holiday travel completely.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
There was the Earl of Maytag and Baron Hoover, both of whom Penelope remembered all too well from the Ashton Place holiday ball.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Just weeks after the movie opened, 21-year-old Billie Holiday recorded a version with pianist Teddy Wilson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Holiday lets "can generate important economic and social benefits, especially for households struggling to make ends meet" but "they may also aggravate housing demand pressures in some constrained local housing markets," the EU draft read.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday - for England and Wales - will stay changeable, with further heavy showers, longer spells of rain and a risk of thunderstorms once again.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Brothers Jrue, Justin and Aaron Holiday have all enjoyed long NBA careers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The great Lady Day, Billie Holiday, hugged him and called him “baby brother. ”
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Dickson sees shoppers “building up” to the holidays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas are still months away — but travel experts are advising those heading home for the holidays to book their flights now.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
The paper reports that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will hand mayors the power to impose unlimited taxes on tourists that could lead to families paying hundreds of pounds more on holidays in England.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
After a break for the holidays, the Grammy winner will make her way to California in January for shows in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
On holidays, there were festivals, and there were Saturday soup prayer meetings, and meals were prepared for the sick and then delivered.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
She booked the holiday in February as a "treat" because none of her grandchildren had ever holidayed abroad.
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2024
She maintains she was cautious around travel to places, including Spain, and that many people holidayed at home.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2024
In a video statement issued from the hospital, he appeared to be in good spirits and said he had holidayed at the Sea of Galilee without properly protecting himself from a heatwave.
From Reuters ● Jul. 16, 2023
As Benedict had holidayed in the diocese, and spent at least part of his time at the priest’s former place of work with his successor, the experts said they suspect he knew about the conviction.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 20, 2022
Our entire family, dad, mum, my two brothers and I, had holidayed at their place a year earlier.
From Free from School by Rahul Alvares
"People haven't got the resources to sit in a pub for three or four hours and enjoy themselves. I get the impression people are holidaying on a tighter budget."
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Three people died after the rare rat-borne hantavirus spread through passengers holidaying on the MV Hondius cruise ship, sparking a global health scare.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
They are four of six Britons who died after holidaying there since January 2023, all of whose families are now making personal injury claims against package holiday firm Tui.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026
The other two Britons who died since 2023 were Jane Pressley, 62, of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, who died in January three years ago after falling ill while holidaying on Sal the previous November.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
The earliest account we have of a Lethifold was written by the wizard Flavius Belby, who was fortunate enough to survive a Lethifold attack in 1782 while holidaying in Papua New Guinea.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
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.
