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

The Department of Conservation reported this weekend a 200 percent increase in sightings on land around Wellington, local media said, describing it as "seal silly season".

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

“I think that fact has kind of pushed the whole silly season forward where it hasn’t really been any movements,” Rosenqvist said.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2023

New York is certainly primed for a silly season, which the Public Theater, orchestrator of the entertainment, takes admirably to heart.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 15, 2021

But as all such diplomatic flurries do, this one will pass, leaving the flatness of the silly season upon us.

From The Book of Susan A Novel by Lee Wilson Dodd

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