bank holiday

noun

Definition of bank holiday

1 British : legal holiday

2 : a period when banks in general are closed often by government fiat

Examples of bank holiday in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most major chains will operate on Christmas Eve, even though it's generally recognized as a bank holiday too. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Here's What It Means That Christmas Eve Is a Federal Holiday This Year," 21 Dec. 2018 British markets were closed for a summer bank holiday. — Marley Jay, The Seattle Times, "Stocks open higher as hope for trade deal with Mexico grows," 27 Aug. 2018 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for a one-off UK bank holiday should England go all the way in Russia this summer and win the World Cup. — SI.com, "Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn Calls for One-Off UK Bank Holiday if England Win World Cup," 4 July 2018 And Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is advocating a bank holiday if England wins the World Cup. — Liz Clarke, chicagotribune.com, "In England, a nation conditioned to World Cup failure is starting to believe," 8 July 2018 In Britain, markets will also be closed on Monday for the spring bank holiday. — New York Times, "U.S. Markets Close for Holiday, and May Jobs Numbers Come Out," 27 May 2018 William and Kate’s wedding was also declared a bank holiday in the United Kingdom, giving many citizens the day off work to partake in the festivities, while Harry and Meghan’s was not. — Diana Pearl, PEOPLE.com, "Casual vs. Formal! Comparing Harry and Meghan's Official Wedding Portrait with William and Kate's," 21 May 2018 Soak up the bank holiday rays from one of our hot-tubs in the Spa this weekend. — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle's Mom Is About to Meet the Queen for Tea," 18 May 2018 Monday’s moves in metals were muted with the London market closed for a bank holiday. — Amrith Ramkumar, WSJ, "Gold Edges Lower With Dollar Rallying," 7 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bank holiday.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 May 2019

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The first known use of bank holiday was in 1778

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More Definitions for bank holiday

bank holiday

noun

Financial Definition of bank holiday

What It Is

A bank holiday is a day on which a bank or banking system is closed.

How It Works

In the United States, banks and financial markets generally cannot be closed for more than four calendar days in a row, which puts some limits on the timing and quantity of bank holidays.

In the United States, here are some typical bank holidays (exact dates vary):

In the United Kingdom, typical bank holidays include (exact dates vary):

In Hong Kong, typical bank holidays include (exact dates vary):

Why It Matters

Every country has its own bank holidays, and on those days, banks do not process transactions. Deposits and withdrawals do not post until the next banking day at the earliest. Sometimes, bank holidays occur in response to emergencies.

Source: Investing Answers