heyday

1 of 2

noun

hey·​day ˈhā-ˌdā How to pronounce heyday (audio)
1
: the period of one's greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity
2
archaic : high spirits

heyday

2 of 2

interjection

archaic
used to express elation or wonder

Did you know?

In its earliest appearances in English, in the 16th century, heyday was used as an interjection that expressed elation or wonder (similar to our word hey, from which it derives). Within a few decades, heyday was seeing use as a noun meaning "high spirits." This sense can be seen in Act III, scene 4 of Hamlet, when the Prince of Denmark tells his mother, "You cannot call it love; for at your age / The heyday in the blood is tame…." The word's second syllable is not thought to be borne of the modern word day (or any of its ancestors), but in the 18th century the syllable's resemblance to that word likely influenced the development of the now-familiar use referring to the period when one's achievement or popularity has reached its zenith.

Examples of heyday in a Sentence

Noun in its heyday, the circus was a major form of entertainment for small-town America
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Well, The Tubes are still around — some 40 years after their commercial heyday — and performed their first show of 2024 before a capacity crowd on Thursday (March 7) at the lovely Guild Theatre in Menlo Park. Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 In 2020, six products became available OTC, harkening back to the heyday of switches in the mid 1990s. Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 The heyday of Warren’s electric clocks The master station clock solved Warren’s problem of creating reliable electric clocks for use in homes and appliances. IEEE Spectrum, 29 Feb. 2024 Sunset Sound represents the apotheosis of the recording industry’s heyday. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024 The First Cask series was released in the heyday of independent bottlings, with casks sourced by the impeccable pallets of Signatory Vintage, and yet they are almost uniformly overlooked by collectors. Mark Littler, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 First up was Miley Cyrus at the Grammys, paying perfect homage to her godmother Dolly Parton in her heyday. Georgia Day, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2024 Among the titles included are The Beast from the East, Ghost Camp and Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns, which were all released in 1996 circa the R.L. Stine books' heyday. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 In the heyday of the Tea Party, South Carolina was home to dozens of local groups associated with the movement. Charles Homans, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heyday.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Interjection

irregular from hey

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1590, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Interjection

circa 1529, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heyday was circa 1529

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Dictionary Entries Near heyday

Cite this Entry

“Heyday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heyday. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

heyday

noun
hey·​day
ˈhā-ˌdā
: the time of greatest strength, popularity, or vigor

More from Merriam-Webster on heyday

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