Columbus Day

noun

Co·​lum·​bus Day kə-ˈləm-bəs- 

1

: October 12 formerly observed as a legal holiday in many states of the U.S. in commemoration of the landing of Columbus in the Bahamas in 1492

2

: the second Monday in October observed as a legal holiday in many states of the U.S.

Examples of Columbus Day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since 1971 Columbus Day has been celebrated on the second Monday in October in the United States. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026

Seth Wenig After a lifetime toiling away in anonymity, Macken hopes to display the model elsewhere when the museum exhibit ends on Columbus Day. — CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

Indigenous Peoples' Day began in the late 1980s amid efforts to promote Native American rights, providing another option instead of Columbus Day, according to the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Upcoming bank holidays are Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. — John Tufts, IndyStar, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Columbus Day

• andromache
• bioassay
• cabriolet
• cercariae
• communique
• companionway
• compositae
• decussate
• examinee
• fabaceae
• glyphosate
• gramineae

Kids Definition

Columbus Day

noun

Co·​lum·​bus Day kə-ˈləm-bəs- 

: the second Monday in October observed as a legal holiday in many states of the U.S. in honor of the landing of Columbus in the Bahamas in 1492