Palm Sunday

American  

noun

1. the Sunday before Easter, celebrated in commemoration of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

---

Palm Sunday British  

noun

1. the Sunday before Easter commemorating Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem

---

Palm Sunday Cultural  

1. The Sunday before Easter. It is celebrated by Christians (see also Christian) to commemorate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem) five days before his Crucifixion. On that occasion, the people of Jerusalem laid palm leaves in his path as a sign of welcome. Palms are carried or worn by worshipers in many churches on Palm Sunday.

---

Etymology

Origin of Palm Sunday

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English

Example Sentences

In March, there was an international outcry after Israeli police prevented the top Roman Catholic leader in Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a private Mass on Palm Sunday.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

During Palm Sunday Mass, he said that “God does not accept the prayers of those who choose violence.”

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday the Latin Patriarch would get "full and immediate access" to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, after police denied him entry on Palm Sunday.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

“Every Palm Sunday after that I would call Jerry and say, ‘Hey Jerry, looks like Palm Sunday again.’

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

The first time Papa asked him, the day after Palm Sunday, Papa could not open his door because he had pushed his study desk in front of it.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie