noun
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an anniversary of the day of one's birth
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( as modifier )
birthday present
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the day on which a person was born
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any anniversary
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of birthday
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at birth, day
Explanation
Your birthday is the day of your birth! It’s the yearly anniversary that marks the day you were born. Not everyone celebrates, but a birthday is a good excuse for a party and cake. You can use birthday both to refer to the specific day of a baby's birth, and the annual marking of that day throughout the years that follow. Sometimes people talk about the birthday of a country, group, or even a building: "It's the art museum's fiftieth birthday next year." The Old English byrddæg originally referred to the celebration of a king or saint's birth, but over the years it was extended to include everyone.
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:
Make them more like a kid’s birthday party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Your payment date depends on your birth date, so your first payment will generally arrive the month after your first month of entitlement, regardless of whether your birthday is on, say, Oct.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
As they celebrate America’s 250th birthday, they are also contemplating the relevance of their orientation to the nation’s conception of itself.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Simba, who turned 25 in the villa, told Maya his first plan with nurse Angelista once they left the show would be to celebrate her 25th birthday, which is on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Bowling birthday parties and ice-skating at the outdoor rink and making bracelets with Celia.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Every year, we give each of our daughters and sons-in-law $100 for their birthdays.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
So, based only on his current age of 80, Trump is likely to see eight more birthdays.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
But on birthdays, especially at Olive Garden, the calories didn’t count, and the extra Andes Mint I passed her — because I didn’t care for chocolate in my youth — could be savored.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
The grandchildren would get the annual required distributions, half on their birthdays, half at Christmas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Since the Lilienthals were supportive of Bobby, he reciprocated with gifts: a television satellite dish, a vacuum cleaner, leather goods that he’d buy on trips to Vienna, and special gifts for birthdays and other holidays.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
