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.
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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.
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a religious feast day; holy day, especially any of several usually commemorative holy days observed in Judaism.
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Chiefly British. Sometimes holidays. a period of cessation from work or one of recreation; vacation.
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an unintentional gap left on a plated, coated, or painted surface.
adjective
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of or relating to a festival; festive; joyous.
a holiday mood.
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suitable for a holiday.
holiday attire.
verb (used without object)
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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:
Games once clustered on Sunday afternoons are now spread across Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday nights, along with international and holiday games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Europe's skies were at their busiest ever during the summer holiday period from July to August, despite disruptions caused by the Middle East war, according to Eurocontrol data published Friday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Overnight Visitor Levy, which was outlined in the King's Speech in May, means a holiday in England could become more expensive if local leaders decide to implement the tax.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Nothing beats a cheerful holiday episode in the summertime, am I right?
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026
Nighthand did not have the relaxed look of a man on holiday.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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
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
Brothers Jrue, Justin and Aaron Holiday have all enjoyed long NBA careers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Holiday let owner says legislation will 'destroy me'
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
After a short spell in a Holiday Inn, I find a house I can rent, on the rise behind Kitsilano Beach, one of those toytown houses that are bigger inside than they look.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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
The yen’s moves on Monday may rekindle market chatter about potential intervention, particularly as authorities have in the past taken advantage of thinned liquidity during public holidays to step in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Clothing Coventry will reopen for school uniform requests on 14 September and said families can access uniform support throughout the year, not just during the summer holidays.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Sister Schubert’s announced its Sausage Wrap Rolls will be back on supermarket shelves in time for the holidays.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
In spite of the fighting and hurt, Gina invites him to dinner and to celebrate the holidays together.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
The experience has, she says, changed the way she and her family have holidayed for good.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2025
Mandelson has met Elon Musk, holidayed with Trump's new Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and built a relationship with Mark Burnett, the TV producer behind The Apprentice who is now Trump's special envoy to the UK.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025
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
A British national of Iraqi birth, Saad al-Hilli was holidaying with his family in the picturesque countryside of Lake Annecy in eastern France.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Tudor Davies lives in London and is holidaying in Glencoe with his family.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 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
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.
