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

There was also the Columbus Day bungle in which no team mentioned Christopher Columbus at all. — Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2026

Before that, the last public holiday to be made official was Columbus Day, now known as Indigenous Peoples Day, which was created in 1968. — Tom Sanders, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026

That weekend was a federal holiday weekend, with Columbus Day falling on Monday. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2026

The event was open on Monday due to the Columbus Day holiday. — David Sharos, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 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