May Day

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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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of May Day

Middle English word dating back to 1225–75

Other definitions for May Day (2 of 2)

Mayday

[ mey-dey ]

/ ˈmeɪˌdeɪ /

noun

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

Origin of Mayday

1925–30; <French (venez) m'aider (come) help me!

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use May Day in a sentence

Also like the Air France disaster, the pilots of AirAsia had no time to issue a mayday call.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Watch what happens at the scene of a blaze when a radio call of “Mayday!”
Why the White Americans Got the ‘Secret’ Ebola Serum|Michael Daly|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Launched in May, Mayday PAC has raised nearly $8 million in donations from more than 50,000 contributors.
George Takei Sets Phasers to Reform|Tim Mak|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another serious challenge to the Zombie Theory is the absence of any Mayday call from the pilots.
Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo|Clive Irving|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

After their last routine exchange with controllers the pilots never sent any Mayday or distress message.
The Baseless Rush to Blame the Pilots of Flight 370|Clive Irving|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I saw a car heading for the scene so I gained more altitude and circled the area while calling "Mayday" on the radio.
The Biography of a Rabbit|Roy Benson
Emersons Mayday, from which I just now quoted, has no real evolution at all; it is a series of observations.
Discourses in America|Matthew Arnold
Now one hundred years ago, Mayday was looked forward to with glee by all English children living in the country.
Young Folks Treasury, Volume 3 (of 12)|Various
All the children who had given up their Mayday money to Susan were playing on the green.
Young Folks Treasury, Volume 3 (of 12)|Various
He expressed in his poems Voluntaries and Mayday views similar to those declared here.
Essays|Ralph Waldo Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for May Day (1 of 2)

Mayday

/ (ˈmeɪˌdeɪ) /

noun

the international radiotelephone distress signal

Word Origin for Mayday

C20: phonetic spelling of French m'aidez help me

British Dictionary definitions for May Day (2 of 2)

May Day

noun

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
(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