Martin Luther King Day

noun

Mar·​tin Lu·​ther King Day ˈmär-tᵊn-ˈlü-thər-ˈkiŋ- 

: the third Monday in January observed as a legal holiday in the U.S.

Note: The federal name for this holiday according to the United States Code is Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Examples of Martin Luther King Day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Schools were closed in honor of Martin Luther King Day, but Metro Nashville Public Schools and dozens of other districts around the state announced they would be closed on Tuesday − and many on Wednesday, too. —USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024

The blistering cold temperatures that arrived in Greater Cincinnati this weekend will stick around during the Martin Luther King Day holiday and beyond. —Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 15 Jan. 2024

These respite locations are open during regular operating hours but are closed on Martin Luther King Day on Monday and set to reopen on Tuesday. —Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 12 Jan. 2024

The 29th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service is billed as the first and largest King day of service in the nation. —Jeffrey Collins, Twin Cities, 15 Jan. 2024

Later that year President Ronald Reagan signed into law legislation that made Martin Luther King Day a federal holiday. —Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2023

Iowa’s caucuses also played out on Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday. —Steve Peoples, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2024

The event, held in advance of Monday’s Martin Luther King Day when the Heat will be playing in Brooklyn, provided more than 200 families with food staples. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024

The last time the caucuses landed on Martin Luther King Day was in 2004, when Democrat John Kerry won Iowans’ support. —Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above