Holi
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is Holi? Holi is a two-day Hindu spring festival that’s primarily celebrated in India. It’s especially known for festive street celebrations in which people cover each other with colored powder. Holi is pronounced the same as the word holy. It’s sometimes known as the Festival of Colors.
Etymology
Origin of Holi
1905–10; < Hindi holī < Prakrit holiyā < Skt holikā
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.
Some are made for celebration, like Holi or Thanksgiving, with full plates and full hearts.
From Salon • May 26, 2025
As part of the festivities, bonfires are lit the evening before Holi in the belief that they will destroy the bad so that good can triumph.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2024
Holi is based on the Hindu legend of Holika, a female demon, who tries to kill her nephew Prahlad because he worships the Hindu god Vishnu.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2024
On the day of Holi, entire streets and towns are filled with people who throw colored powder in the air.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 22, 2024
I stitched the colors of the fireworks exploding into the sky on Lord Krishna’s birthday and the two of us covered with red powder at the celebration of Holi.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
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.
