heyday

1 of 2

noun

hey·​day ˈhā-ˌdā How to pronounce heyday (audio)
1
: the period of one's greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity
2
archaic : high spirits

heyday

2 of 2

interjection

archaic
used to express elation or wonder

Did you know?

In its earliest appearances in English, in the 16th century, heyday was used as an interjection that expressed elation or wonder (similar to our word hey, from which it derives). Within a few decades, heyday was seeing use as a noun meaning "high spirits." This sense can be seen in Act III, scene 4 of Hamlet, when the Prince of Denmark tells his mother, "You cannot call it love; for at your age / The heyday in the blood is tame…." The word's second syllable is not thought to be borne of the modern word day (or any of its ancestors), but in the 18th century the syllable's resemblance to that word 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

Noun in its heyday, the circus was a major form of entertainment for small-town America
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Watch on Deadline Full of often astonishing footage and sounds of the ‘Family Affair’ superstar and his band in their heyday, Sly Lives! Dominic Patten, Deadline, 23 Jan. 2025 The resort has a rustic charm, a nod to the town’s heyday in the early 1900s. Jennifer Broome, The Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2025 Gandini left Flos as its longtime CEO and chairman in 2019 and is the son of the lighting firm’s first manager Sergio Gandini, who started at the helm in its early heyday in 1963 and later bought it in 1964. Sofia Celeste, WWD, 16 Jan. 2025 Sitcoms didn’t disappear, but their heyday was long past. Erik Kain, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for heyday 

Word History

Etymology

Interjection

irregular from hey

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1590, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Interjection

circa 1529, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heyday was circa 1529

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Dictionary Entries Near heyday

Cite this Entry

“Heyday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heyday. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

heyday

noun
hey·​day
ˈhā-ˌdā
: the time of greatest strength, popularity, or vigor

More from Merriam-Webster on heyday

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