national holiday
Americannoun
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national holidays
plural
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a holiday that is observed throughout a nation.
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a holiday that is legally established by a national government rather than by a municipal or state government.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
In 2014, his birthday was made a national holiday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Temperatures were expected to remain high through France's Bastille Day national holiday on Tuesday, according to the Meteo-France weather service.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
A national holiday commemorating an independence-era battle, Wednesday had been cloudy and warm, topping 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Memorial Day officially became a federal national holiday in 1971, and is now part of a nationwide annual celebration that also serves as the unofficial beginning of summer.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
As the plane began its descent over Boston Harbor, the pilot announced the weather and time, and that President Nixon had declared a national holiday: two American men had landed on the moon.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
