May Day

American

noun

the first day of May, long celebrated with various festivities, as the crowning of the May queen, dancing around the Maypole, and, in recent years, often marked by labor parades and political demonstrations.

May Day British

noun

1. the first day of May, traditionally a celebration of the coming of spring: in some countries now observed as a holiday in honour of workers
2. ( as modifier )
  
  May-Day celebrations

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of May Day

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English

Compare meaning

How does may-day compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

May Day vs. Labor Day

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.

Mamdani walked the picket lines with nurses and addressed a rally of union workers on May Day.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

"Hands off May 1," read the poster of a hard-left activist at a May Day protest in Paris.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

University presidents such as Kingman Brewster Jr. and A. Bartlett Giamatti, for example, spoke out about the Vietnam War, the Black Panthers and May Day protests.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

Boyle will present You Are Here, which will take place over the May Day bank holiday weekend.

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2025

Since this was an annual holiday, instead of working everyone attended the May Day celebration and fair at the cathedral.

From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay

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