Palm Sunday

American  

noun

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

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Palm Sunday British  

noun

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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of Palm Sunday

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English

Example Sentences

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

The mark is made with the moistened ashes of palms that were burned after the previous year’s Palm Sunday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha condemned that the attack had taken place on Palm Sunday.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2025

The Mexican fan palm, supposedly brought here by the mission-building padres to supply Palm Sunday foliage, can grow taller, maybe 10 stories, and skinnier, and can dip and sway camera-readily in the wind.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2025

Everything came tumbling down after Palm Sunday Howhng winds came with an angry rain, uprooting frangipani trees in the front yard.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie