a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or in honor of some person.
any day of exemption from work (distinguished from working day).
a time or period of exemption from any requirement, duty, assessment, etc..
New businesses may be granted a one-year tax holiday.
a religious feast day; holy day, especially any of several usually commemorative holy days observed in Judaism.
Chiefly British. Sometimes holidays. a period of cessation from work or one of recreation; vacation.
an unintentional gap left on a plated, coated, or painted surface.
of or relating to a festival; festive; joyous.
a holiday mood.
suitable for a holiday.
holiday attire.
(often plural)
US and Canadian word: vacation. a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation
( as modifier )
a holiday mood
a day on which work is suspended by law or custom, such as a religious festival, bank holiday, etc
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English hāligdæg; equivalent to holy + day
A holiday celebrates a person, anniversary, religious belief or other occasion. You might observe the Indian holiday of Holi, and take a week off of work to celebrate with your family. A holiday is an occasion recognized by the state or federal government and marked on calendars, like Thanksgiving in the United States. Most holidays are celebratory and fun, and just about all of them mean no work or school. You can also take a holiday, or vacation. Holiday comes from "holy" and "day," meaning a religious festival, and the word was even pronounced that way until the sixteenth century.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
French authorities have ordered thousands of tourists on the southwestern Atlantic coast out of campsites and holiday homes, as firefighters backed by water-bombing planes raced to control the blazes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Preston Bus also withdrew off-peak journeys on several routes from Lancashire's £1 evening, Sunday and bank holiday fare scheme in April.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Going on holiday is very important to Richard Douglas but finding accomodation that can accomodate him has become increasingly challenging.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“They are excited about going on a holiday, which we hope will include Australia, India and every state in America.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Upon returning to the Very, Very Far North from his “migration” that was not at all a holiday, Major Puff was again in need of a home.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Featuring in cinema classics like "Roman Holiday" and "La Dolce Vita", the Vespa has a long association with the Eternal City.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Billie Holiday wanted to record “Strange Fruit,” but her label refused.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Rob Parkinson, chief executive of the Family Holiday Charity, said that the government, industry and voluntary sector needed to "work together to identify and implement an enduring solution" for families.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Surge, a very special Friday Federal Holiday edition that makes a great reading companion to your steak-and-sauerkraut breakfast.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026
I look at the black-and-white photographs of Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald on the wall above the circular booths.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
See also: These states are considering gas-tax holidays.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Below are the dates, price caps and qualifying items for states offering tax holidays in late July and August.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
He also joked with schoolchildren that he hoped he had not "ruined the holidays too much by dragging you in here".
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Borrowed from its Weimar-era predecessor, it proclaims Sundays and holidays “days of rest from work and of spiritual elevation.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
The holidays are a busy time for pet adoption.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
The arrival of such futuristic designs marks a sharp departure from how we have traditionally holidayed.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
He had holidayed with Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and made connections with Mark Burnett, the TV produce of the Apprentice, the show that sparked Trump's rise to power.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025
In a video statement issued from the hospital, he appeared to be in good spirits and said he had holidayed at the Sea of Galilee without properly protecting himself from a heatwave.
From Reuters ● Jul. 16, 2023
As Benedict had holidayed in the diocese, and spent at least part of his time at the priest’s former place of work with his successor, the experts said they suspect he knew about the conviction.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 20, 2022
Our entire family, dad, mum, my two brothers and I, had holidayed at their place a year earlier.
From Free from School by Alvares, Rahul
Speaking to AFP by phone, a Moscow resident holidaying in Feodosia on Crimea's southeastern coast said earlier this week that "everyone is afraid: locals and visitors alike."
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Three people died after the rare rat-borne hantavirus spread through passengers holidaying on the MV Hondius cruise ship, sparking a global health scare.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Many of them were reportedly holidaying at caravan camps.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
She was holidaying with husband, Keith, 55, in Tenerife when their daughter, Megan, informed them their 22-month-old dog was missing.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2025
The earliest account we have of a Lethifold was written by the wizard Flavius Belby, who was fortunate enough to survive a Lethifold attack in 1782 while holidaying in Papua New Guinea.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
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.
