jubilee

1 of 2

noun

ju·​bi·​lee ˈjü-bə-(ˌ)lē 

ˌjü-bə-ˈlē

plural jubilees

1

a

: a special anniversary

especially : a 50th anniversary

b

: a celebration of such an anniversary

2

a

: jubilation

b

: a season of celebration

3

often Jubilee : a year of emancipation and restoration provided by ancient Hebrew law to be kept every 50 years by the emancipation of enslaved Hebrews, restoration of alienated lands to their former owners, and omission of all cultivation of the land

4

a

: a period of time proclaimed by the Roman Catholic pope ordinarily every 25 years as a time of special solemnity

b

: a special plenary indulgence granted during a year of jubilee to Roman Catholics who perform certain specified works of repentance and piety

5

: a religious song of African Americans usually referring to a time of future happiness

jubilee

2 of 2

adjective

variants often Jubilee

: flambé

cherries jubilee

Did you know?

Juneteenth, a holiday observed in the United States on June 19 in commemoration of the end of slavery, has several other names as well, including Juneteenth National Independence Day, Freedom Day, Black Independence Day, and Jubilee Day. The word jubilee here is of special significance; while jubilee is often used generally to refer to an anniversary or celebration of an anniversary, its history is intertwined with the idea of emancipation. According to the biblical book of Leviticus, every fifty years Hebrew slaves were to be set free, lands given back to their former owners, and the fields left unharvested. This year of liberty was announced when a ram’s horn was blown. In Hebrew, that ceremonial horn was called a yōbhēl, and the celebratory year took its name from that of the horn. As the Bible was translated into other languages, the concept of the yōbhēl spread around the world, as did its name (albeit with spelling modifications). It eventually entered English via the Anglo-French word jubilé in the 14th century. Since then, jubilee has not only kept its original, biblical sense, but has gained others, including one referring to a traditional African American spiritual that looks forward to a time of future happiness and deliverance from oppression.

Synonyms of jubilee

Noun

• celebration
• festival
• festivity

Examples of jubilee in a Sentence

Noun

the town is planning a year-long jubilee in celebration of its founding 200 years ago

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Bechtler is celebrating its 15th anniversary while the Gantt Center continues to celebrate its jubilee year and the Mint highlights diverse artistic expressions and cultural narratives. —Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025

The pilgrimage, listed on the official calendar of jubilee events, comes as gay Catholics look to Pope Leo XIV to continue down the bold path of his predecessor to welcome into the church a group that has in the past faced alienation and sometimes harsh treatment. —Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025

Punk godmother Patti Smith‘s landmark 1975 debut album, Horses, is getting the golden jubilee treatment. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Aug. 2025

The Duke of York traveled to Thailand to represent the crown at the King of Thailand’s diamond jubilee. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English jubele, jubelee "the Hebrew jubilee year, the papal jubilee year, feast of rejoicing," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Late Latin jūbilaeus "the Hebrew jubilee year," borrowed from Greek iōbēlaîos, adjective derivative of iōbḗl "the Hebrew jubilee year," borrowed from Hebrew yōbhēl "ram, ram's horn, jubilee year"

Note: Patristic Latin jūbilaeus shows reshaping from its Greek source by association with the classical Latin verb jūbilāre "to let out whoops"—see jubilant.

Adjective

after cherries jubilee, translation of French cerises jubilé or jubilee

Note: It has been alleged that the dish was invented by the French chef Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) for the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, as by the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts (see the blog post of September 24, 2021, at escoffier.edu). It is not clear that there is any contemporary documentary evidence for this claim. In the book Souvenirs inédits: 75 ans au service de l'art culinaire (Marseille, 1985), edited from documents in Escoffier's personal files by a grandson and great-grandson, a menu is cited from a dinner served to the Prince of Wales by Escoffier at the Grand Hôtel in Monte Carlo, where Escoffier worked from 1884 to 1890. On the menu is "mousse à la vanille accompagnée de cerises Jubilé." The editors add a footnote "Les cerises Jubilée furent créées l'année du Jubilé de S.M. la Reine Victoria, reine d'Angleterre et impératrice de l'Inde." ("Cherries jubilee was created on the jubilee year of H.M. Queen Victoria, Queen of England and Empress of India.") If this is accurate, the occasion would have been Victoria's golden jubilee in 1887, not her diamond jubilee.

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective

1951, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for jubilee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

jubilee

noun

ju·​bi·​lee

ˈjü-bə-ˌlē,

ˌjü-bə-ˈlē

1

: a special anniversary

especially : a 50th anniversary

2

: a celebration especially of an anniversary