national holiday
Americannoun
-
a holiday that is observed throughout a nation.
-
a holiday that is legally established by a national government rather than by a municipal or state government.
Etymology
Origin of national holiday
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
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.
Some nations might have declared a national holiday.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
The ninth of May has become Russia's most important national holiday.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Closed Monday for a national holiday and briefly insulated from heavy selling elsewhere, the South Korean stock market reopened Tuesday to heavy losses.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026
Australia Day - a national holiday on 26 January - marks the 1788 landing of Britain's First Fleet in Sydney Cove and the start of colonisation.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
It was a national holiday, and Sassur took Chandra and me into the village to see the fireworks.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
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.
