many happy returns

Idioms

Also, many happy returns of the day. Happy birthday and many more of them, as in I came by to wish you many happy returns. This expression was first recorded in a letter of 1779 where the writer meant “Happy New Year,” but the present meaning has persisted since the second half of the 1800s.

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:

many happy returns

Be careful on those slopes and many happy returns for your wedding.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

Happy Birthday to you, Stimson-Green Mansion, and many happy returns.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 23, 2023

This Nationals spring has been filed with many happy returns.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 26, 2021

I doubt whether Alice, a long-time United supporter celebrating her 100th birthday in a nursing home in Leicester, will ever forget the unheralded arrival of Sir Alex to wish her many happy returns.

From BBC ● May 18, 2013

The Doctor came to wish him many happy returns, as he expected to be prevented by his work from doing so on the morrow.

From Royal Highness by Thomas Mann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023