(many) happy returns

idiom

old-fashioned

—used for wishing someone a happy birthday and to express the hope that he or she will live to celebrate many more birthdays in the future

Examples of (many) happy returns in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many happy returns, now go clean up after a GI emergency and reposition someone every two hours throughout the night. —Jj Holmes, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 June 2025

With more happy returns expected from the 2026 Winter Games in Italy and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, NBCUniversal may need to develop some new muscles in order to maintain the synergistic mojo. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024

Kinney's was the first of several happy returns in the new episode, which picked up six months after last May's season finale. —Breanne L. Heldman, Peoplemag, 18 Jan. 2024

Few happy returns If the wave of injuries to top starting pitchers wasn’t enough, many of those who’ve remained healthy have simply underperformed. —Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 16 May 2023

Procrastinators may find what early filers already know: Tax year 2022 is not producing as many happy returns as in previous years due to a number of changes, including the expiration of some pandemic-era tax breaks. —Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2023

Here’s to many more happy returns from the iconic model in 2023. —José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2022

The Greatest Showman actor wished Dylan many happy returns on Instagram last month, sharing a slideshow of photos and videos from their escape to Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles. —Jen Juneau, PEOPLE.com, 18 Mar. 2022