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-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
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Easter Vocabulary
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Passover Vocabulary
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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 potential for conflict bursts into the open at a seaside home that has been in Ye-ji’s husband’s family for years, where the group has decamped for a supposedly restorative holiday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Gavin and Stacey star Rob Brydon says he "regrets" turning down the chance to interview Dolly Parton after choosing to stay on a family holiday.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
It’s the holiday weekend, so you, like Bartiromo, likely have some extra free time on your hands.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
One note: The Morning Risk Report won’t be published Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
School was closed tomorrow for the Good Friday holiday.
From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis
The missing Indians were in the country with three travel agencies: Samrat Tours & Travels, Leaf Holiday and Himalayan Glacier.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Two other Warner Bros. movies, “Scoob! Holiday Haunt” and “Batgirl,” were written off when almost completed, but as of now, no one has come to their rescue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Mags Rivett, director at Family Holiday Charity, which supports families with UK trips, says there are many benefits to arranging time away with children that don't require expensive travel.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Billie Holiday wanted to record “Strange Fruit,” but her label refused.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
I call all the hotels I’d filled out housekeeping applications at weeks ago—the Hyatt, Holiday Inn, Econo Lodge, Hojo’s, Best Western, plus a half dozen locally run guest houses.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
The seasonal pattern around these two holidays is the source of the Wall Street adage “sell Rosh Hashanah, buy Yom Kippur.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
In the eurozone, demand for bonds will come under intense scrutiny this month as Europeans return from holidays and national debt agencies also resume auctions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
In the school holidays, many places will entice families through their doors by offering free or £1 meals for kids eating with paying adults.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The strikes came as children were set to return to school after summer holidays and as authorities tightened security measures following weeks of intensified Russian attacks on the capital.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
While there are other not-quite holidays, though they are rare, the boy is not taken to see any other magicians.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
The arrival of such futuristic designs marks a sharp departure from how we have traditionally holidayed.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
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
However, since the end of the Ashes they have holidayed in beautiful Queenstown, played golf, been surfing and climbed the picturesque mountain that gives Mount Maunganui its name.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2022
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
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
Many of them were reportedly holidaying at caravan camps.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
She was holidaying with husband, Keith, 55, in Tenerife when their daughter, Megan, informed them their 22-month-old dog was missing.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2025
Louise said she was sad to hear the fair was closing but it wouldn't stop her from holidaying in Porthcawl again.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2025
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.
