Australia Day

noun

Aus·​tra·​lia Day ȯ-ˈstrāl-yə- 

ä-,

ə-

: a national holiday in Australia commemorating the landing of the British at Sydney Cove in 1788 and observed on the Monday of or next following Jan. 26

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Opposition leader Peter Dutton likened the move to changing the date of the national day, Australia Day. —Nick Perry And Rod Mcguirk, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2023

Victoria has canceled its Australia Day parade. —Ben Westcott, Bloomberg.com, 25 Jan. 2023

Professor Megan Davis, a co-chair of the Uluru Dialogue, has also argued that changing the date of Australia Day won't have a tangible impact on the lives of Indigenous people. —Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 25 Jan. 2023

Supporters of Australia Day say an acknowledgment of the country’s recent history is necessary. —Alice Uribe, WSJ, 3 Feb. 2022

The government announced the deal one day before Australia Day, an annual holiday celebrating when the first British fleet reached the country in 1788. —Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2022

But others questioned the timing of the deal, which was announced the day before the country's increasingly controversial national day, Australia Day. —Oscar Holland, CNN, 24 Jan. 2022

But the country still celebrates Australia Day, which commemorates the arrival of the British in 1788, while Indigenous people refer to it as Invasion Day. —Natasha Frost, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Feb. 2021

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Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above