va·ca·tion
vā-ˈkā-shən 
və-
often attributive
1
: a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation
had a restful vacation at the beach
2
a
: a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended
b
: a period of exemption from work granted to an employee
3
: a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission
4
: an act or an instance of vacating
Synonyms
Examples of vacation in a Sentence
Noun
Family vacations were a high point in my childhood.
When are you taking vacation this year?
Employees are entitled to 120 hours of paid vacation.
I don't have any vacation days left.
We have a one-week vacation in February.
The university will be closed for Christmas vacation.
Verb
hoping to vacation in Spain this summer
Recent Examples on the Web
Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
Where to stay in Oak Bluffs and Martha's Vineyard:
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
This popular peninsula in Massachusetts is a vacation hotspot for good reason.
—Alex Erdekian, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2024
Families planning low-cost vacations this summer should look no further than visiting a national park.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
Just like vacations can reinvigorate and revitalize, so can exercise breaks.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The original film, written and directed by Alda, revolves around three couples who take vacations together each season and explores the changes in the group dynamic when one of couples splits up and the man brings a much younger woman on subsequent trips.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
In the film, three married couples take vacations together each season, but things are thrown for a loop when one of the husbands leaves his wife and begins bringing a younger woman with him.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
After Méndez was demoted earlier this month, Wysong briefly served as acting city attorney until Chief Deputy City Attorney John Greco returned from vacation on Monday.
—Joey Flechas, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Here's a list of some local Airbnb listings to consider for a vacation:
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Bourbon Trail: Caboose on the Farm
Distance From Downtown Louisville: About an hour drive, or 60 miles.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 13 Apr. 2024
Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
In fact, Jenner, her then-spouse, Caitlyn Jenner, and her children vacationed with O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson and their children in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a couple months before the murders.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Bartlett, 70, was vacationing with Mike Nichols, 75, and their spouses, Larry and Jackie.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Apr. 2024
For years, her family has vacationed on the tiny Caribbean Island every July.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2024
The move comes after two deadly shootings in Miami Beach during spring break last year led to a state of emergency and a midnight curfew in the popular destination for vacationing college students.
—Carlos Suarez, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Come summer, major attractions like the Spanish Steps in Rome (pictured above) are thronged by international tourists and vacationing Europeans.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2024
Khloé Kardashian Spends Sunset at the Beach with Her Kids True, 5, and Tatum, 1
The joke is a nod to a very memorable season 6 episode of KUWTK filmed in 2010, in which Kim, 43, and then-boyfriend Kris Humphries were vacationing with her family in French Polynesia when tragedy struck.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Photos of Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce vacationing on a tiny island in the Bahamas have been widely circulated (and discussed) on social media over the last couple of days.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Poosh founder’s IHOP breakfast follows her tropical birthday vacation with her husband Travis Barker and their baby boy Rocky, 5 months.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
Where to stay in Oak Bluffs and Martha's Vineyard:
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
This popular peninsula in Massachusetts is a vacation hotspot for good reason.
—Alex Erdekian, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2024
Families planning low-cost vacations this summer should look no further than visiting a national park.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
Just like vacations can reinvigorate and revitalize, so can exercise breaks.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The original film, written and directed by Alda, revolves around three couples who take vacations together each season and explores the changes in the group dynamic when one of couples splits up and the man brings a much younger woman on subsequent trips.
—Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
In the film, three married couples take vacations together each season, but things are thrown for a loop when one of the husbands leaves his wife and begins bringing a younger woman with him.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
After Méndez was demoted earlier this month, Wysong briefly served as acting city attorney until Chief Deputy City Attorney John Greco returned from vacation on Monday.
—Joey Flechas, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Here's a list of some local Airbnb listings to consider for a vacation:
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Bourbon Trail: Caboose on the Farm
Distance From Downtown Louisville: About an hour drive, or 60 miles.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 13 Apr. 2024
Verb
Moira Gallacher, 72, had been vacationing in Romania with her friend Charmian Widdowson when the women decided to go for a drive through the Carpathian Mountains.
Ill.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
In fact, Jenner, her then-spouse, Caitlyn Jenner, and her children vacationed with O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson and their children in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a couple months before the murders.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Bartlett, 70, was vacationing with Mike Nichols, 75, and their spouses, Larry and Jackie.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 8 Apr. 2024
For years, her family has vacationed on the tiny Caribbean Island every July.
—Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2024
The move comes after two deadly shootings in Miami Beach during spring break last year led to a state of emergency and a midnight curfew in the popular destination for vacationing college students.
—Carlos Suarez, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Come summer, major attractions like the Spanish Steps in Rome (pictured above) are thronged by international tourists and vacationing Europeans.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2024
Khloé Kardashian Spends Sunset at the Beach with Her Kids True, 5, and Tatum, 1
The joke is a nod to a very memorable season 6 episode of KUWTK filmed in 2010, in which Kim, 43, and then-boyfriend Kris Humphries were vacationing with her family in French Polynesia when tragedy struck.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Photos of Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce vacationing on a tiny island in the Bahamas have been widely circulated (and discussed) on social media over the last couple of days.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vacation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near vacation
Cite this Entry
“Vacation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacation. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vacation
1 of 2 noun
va·ca·tion
vā-ˈkā-shən
və-
1
: a period during which activity (as of a school) is stopped for a time
2
: a period spent away from home or business in travel or amusement
vacation
2 of 2 verb
vacationed; vacationing
-sh(ə-)niŋ
: to take or spend a vacation
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