Kate Bornstein
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The day in heyday originally had nothing to do with the kind of day that's made up of 24 hours. Heyday was first used in the first half of the 16th century as an extended form of the interjection hey, used since the 13th century to express elation or wonder, as it still often is in phrases like "hey, look at that!" The day part was most likely just an extra syllable tagged on for effect. By the end of the 16th century heyday had developed noun use with the meaning "high spirits," as when Shakespeare's Hamlet tells his mother, "You cannot call it love; for at your age / The heyday in the blood is tame …” It wasn't until the 18th century that the day syllable's resemblance to the word day likely influenced the development of the now-familiar use referring to the period when one's achievement or popularity has reached its zenith.
Examples of heyday in a Sentence
Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 5 Feb. 2026
The early 20th century heyday of electric cars At the turn of the 20th century, electric cars were symbols of refinement and technological progress, popular in wealthy urban neighborhoods.
—Bill Gourgey, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2026
This retro classic had its heyday in the ’50s and ’60s as an economical casserole, often built around leftover chicken and a can of mushroom soup.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Feb. 2026
It’s been among Texas’ highest-grossing venues in alcohol sales in the past, rivaling large venues like AT&T Stadium and the American Airlines Center in its heyday.
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heyday
Cite this Entry
“Heyday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heyday. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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