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Synonyms

vacation

American  
[vey-key-shuhn, vuh-] / veɪˈkeɪ ʃən, və- /

noun

  1. a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday.

    Schoolchildren are on vacation now.

  2. a part of the year, regularly set aside, when normal activities of law courts, legislatures, etc., are suspended.

  3. freedom or release from duty, business, or activity.

  4. an act or instance of vacating.

verb (used without object)

  1. to take or have a vacation.

    to vacation in the Caribbean.
vacation British  
/ vəˈkeɪʃən /

noun

  1. a period of the year when the law courts or universities are closed

  2. a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation Also called (in Britain and certain other countries) holiday

  3. the act of departing from or abandoning property, etc

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to take a vacation; holiday

"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

Other Word Forms

  • minivacation noun
  • prevacation noun
  • vacationer noun
  • vacationist noun
  • vacationless adjective

Etymology

Origin of vacation

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin vacātiōn-, stem of vacātiō “freedom from something”; equivalent to vacate + -ion; replacing Middle English vacacioun, from Anglo-French

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.

Jason Heath had ventured with his family from northeastern Maine to the Sunshine State for a vacation -- but soon found out they were set to "witness history" with the launch of NASA's Artemis 2 mission.

From Barron's

Companies love digital workers because they don’t need sleep, coffee breaks or vacations.

From The Wall Street Journal

She’s part of a new wave of travelers, particularly Gen Z, opting for these types of trips over extended vacations, according to an AirBnb trend report.

From Los Angeles Times

“You wanna ask Max, plenty of opportunity. He’s on vacation. Two weeks.”

From Literature

That could have an effect on everything from vacations to trips to the grocery store.

From MarketWatch

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.