Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

Mayday

American  
[may-day] / ˈmeɪˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. the international radiotelephone distress signal, used by ships and aircraft.


Mayday British  
/ ˈmeɪˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. the international radiotelephone distress signal

"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 Mayday

First recorded in 1925–30; from French (venez) m'aider “(come) help me,” contraction of m(e) “me” ( see also me ( def. )) aider “to help” ( see aid ( def. ))


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:

Afterward the beau monde had a few days to find new costumes for the Monday Mayday masquerade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

In “The Testaments,” Lucy Halliday stars as Daisy, a new Pearl Girl who is really an undercover spy for Mayday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

In late January, after Mayday countersued in a federal court in New York, that court temporarily blocked South Dakota’s actions.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2026

Mayday, known for their "positive rock music", are among the most successful Taiwanese acts in mainland China.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2023

Mayday used to be a distress signal, a long time ago, in one of those wars we studied in high school.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training