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.
holiday
1 American
[hol-i-day]
/ 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-day]
/ 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
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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.
See Examples For:
The protein craze has reached peppermint bark and other holiday treats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
But the Nottingham Forest midfielder was called up as a late replacement after a number of high profile pull-outs and left a family holiday to join up with the Three Lions squad.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
As you arrive on the holiday island of Tenerife, there is a profound sense of grief, pain and disbelief at the death of footballer Jesus de Miguel.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
The largest part of the U.S. economy grew at a rapid pace just ahead of the holiday shopping season, but business leaders were not in a festive mood due to stubborn inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
It was wonderful to be home with the family for O Bon, the biggest holiday of the year.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
Holiday airfares will be the highest in at least a decade, with average Thanksgiving tickets up 31% and Christmas tickets up 23% from last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
It's August Bank Holiday in England and two of the Premier League's top sides - Aston Villa and Arsenal - are about to meet.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Holiday flights can be among the biggest travel expenses of the year.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Jayden De La Cruz, Diego Apolinar and Roman Holiday are teammates at El Camino Real, play on the same club team and also will be college teammates next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Remember the boxing gloves you gave us, and the swimming pool at Dukes Happy Holiday Resort?
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Auto sector production jumped around 17 percent from a month earlier following a sluggish period caused largely by factory holidays and plant maintenance over the summer.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
The taste reminded him of the Christmas holidays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
French students returning from autumn holidays blocked some high schools on Monday, determined to reinvigorate a protest movement despite government concessions during the break.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
According to the filing, Kaufman decided “all other orders regarding custody and visitation remain in full force and effect including holidays and vacation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
I tried to spend more time with him, but it was difficult because I was taking on more farmwork since he couldn’t do much himself anymore and the Christmas holidays would soon be over.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The arrival of such futuristic designs marks a sharp departure from how we have traditionally holidayed.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
He had holidayed with Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and made connections with Mark Burnett, the TV produce of the Apprentice, the show that sparked Trump's rise to power.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025
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
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
Josimar Medina, a 31-year-old Peruvian who was holidaying in Spain with his girlfriend, said he was sleeping on the Renfe train when "I woke up and I was in the air."
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
David Cameron frequently stayed in Cornwall with his wife Samantha, holidaying there every summer while in No 10.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Speaking to AFP by phone, a Moscow resident holidaying in Feodosia on Crimea's southeastern coast said earlier this week that "everyone is afraid: locals and visitors alike."
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Many of them were reportedly holidaying at caravan camps.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
