Groundhog Day

noun

1
: February 2 observed traditionally as a day that indicates six more weeks of winter if sunny or an early spring if cloudy
2
or less commonly groundhog day plural Groundhog Days also groundhog days : a situation in which the same usually negative or monotonous experiences occur repeatedly or are felt to occur repeatedly with no change or correction
Last month … I wrote all about how this lockdown has stolen my fashion mojo, locking me in a Groundhog Day of joggers and knitted sets.Penny Goldstone
How long before this Groundhog Day cycle of anxiety and illness ends and we can go back to some version of normal?Michiko Kakutani
The reality is that climate negotiations have long been stalled, lost in a Groundhog Day cycle of yearly meetings ending in plans for more meetings.Ruth Greenspan Bell and Barry Blechman
… the unrelenting endless cycle of groundhog days and going nowhere wears thin.Joan O'Donnell

Examples of Groundhog Day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Watch Not Okay on Hulu Palm Springs Palm Springs is like 1993's Groundhog Day with a sci-fi edge. Hannah Kerns, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025 Cultural marinades have also likely exposed them to weather-predicting almanacs, traditions like Groundhog Day, or sayings about weather conditions passed on from generation to generation. Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025 Has spring ever not followed Groundhog Day? Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025 During a plenary on August 9, three observers independently told Grist that the negotiations felt like Groundhog Day, as countries reiterated familiar talking points. Joseph Winters, Wired News, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Groundhog Day

Word History

Etymology

from the superstition that a groundhog emerging from its burrow returns to hibernate if it sees its shadow on this day; (sense 2) after the film Groundhog Day (1993), with screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis, in which the main character is forced to relive the same day (February 2, Groundhog Day) until he learns certain life lessons

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Groundhog Day was in 1852

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Cite this Entry

“Groundhog Day.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Groundhog%20Day. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

Groundhog Day

noun
: February 2 when according to tradition the groundhog comes out of its burrow and if it sees its shadow and is frightened back underground there will be six more weeks of winter

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