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:
A surprisingly strong U.S. economy sustained its vigor on the verge of the holiday shopping season, a pair of S&P surveys showed, as businesses hired more workers to keep up with rising customer demand.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
He told the jury he was on holiday with "my ex-wife, my three children and three other families and their children".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
At least one analyst thinks Kohl’s could become a “big winner” this holiday season as the retailer continues to revamp its in-house brands.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Amazon said it planned to hire more than 300,000 workers for its U.S. operations this holiday season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Papa had left just before Purim, which was normally Mama’s favorite holiday, but she had barely acknowledged it that year.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Holiday flights can be among the biggest travel expenses of the year.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Holiday is the goal scorer, with De La Cruz and Apolinar serving as the playmakers to get him in position to score.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Over time her work became more personal, leaning in to Afrocentric mysticism and her distinctive voice, which sidesteps gospel projection in favor of intimate and playful phrasing that recalls Billie Holiday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Manchester Pride takes place from Friday until Bank Holiday Monday, while Saturday marks the start of Notting Hill Carnival in London, which also continues until Monday.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The act consisted of me, dressed in a nice shirt and tie and singing a medley of commercial jingles in the voice of Billie Holiday, who was one of my father's favorite singers.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
As long as there are holidays and unhappy American families, the country’s stages will never be empty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
For the majority of North Koreans, holidays are out of reach.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Early on, I saw Dad only on movie screens, on holidays or when he worked in New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
French authorities had been hoping that the student protest movement that started in late September was starting to ease, ahead of half-term holidays.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
“I got guarantees. We putting you back in the Ring after the holidays and we gon’ make you big.”
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Cullen said he had never filmed on Anglesey before but had holidayed a lot in north Wales, adding it was great that Black Church Bay was "showcasing Wales".
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
The couple often holidayed in Pesaro, where Pavarotti had a villa and was an honorary citizen.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 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
Tudor Davies lives in London and is holidaying in Glencoe with his family.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
"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
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
She suggests being flexible over where and when you travel, including considering switching to road or rail or holidaying in the UK.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 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.
