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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.
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Examples of heyday in a Sentence
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024
Four decades after their heyday, Journey still plays to packed arenas around the world.
—Brandon Griggs, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
In its heyday, Sportsmen’s Lodge was a movie studio hangout, and many local residents knew it as a popular venue for weddings, bar mitzvahs, New Year’s parties and more.
—Jenna Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
In December, 2019, Boris Johnson won an eighty-seat majority in the House of Commons, the Conservatives’ biggest electoral success since the heyday of Thatcherism.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Hollywood icons from Bob Hope to Marilyn Monroe famously flocked to the desert oasis that is Palm Springs, back in their heyday.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2024
The key is ignoring their Y2K heyday and instead dressing for now; try shrunken T-shirts, long trenches, and ballet flats to keep things fresh.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2024
In its heyday, San Onofre produced electricity consumed across Southern California, including 20 percent of the juice used by San Diego Gas & Electric Company customers.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
The first drive-in theater opened in the United States in 1933, but the concept didn’t reach its heyday until mid century.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 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.
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“Heyday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heyday. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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heyday
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on heyday
Nglish: Translation of heyday for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of heyday for Arabic Speakers
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