silly season

American

noun

a time of year, usually in midsummer or during a holiday period, characterized by exaggerated news stories, frivolous entertainments, outlandish publicity stunts, etc..

The new movie reminds us that the silly season is here.

silly season British

noun

a period, usually during the hot summer months, when journalists fill space reporting on frivolous events and activities

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of silly season

First recorded in 1870–75

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.

See Examples For:

silly season

But this is the time of year known in F1 as "silly season", when speculation abounds about driver movements.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

It isn’t quite silly season yet, but the giggles are starting.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025

Players were interested in the silly season only when they got money up front.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 15, 2022

Rossi was tight-lipped during Indianapolis 500 media day Thursday while discussing a rash of pranks that have turned May into silly season inside the paddock leading into “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2022

The newspapers had exhausted the stunt of the silly season and were at their flattest and most yawn-provoking.

From Mrs. Warren's Daughter A Story of the Woman's Movement by Johnston, Harry Hamilton, Sir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023