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
Michael Paterniti, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025
James Van Der Beek is auctioning off memorabilia from his teen heartthrob heyday amid a battle with cancer.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025
Its heyday ran through the Cold War, Vietnam and the culture wars of the 1960s.
—Jeff Suess, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Nov. 2025
The Recording Industry Association of America says 2024 was the 18th consecutive year of growth in EP or LP sales, though the numbers pale in comparison with the heyday of vinyl.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heyday
Cite this Entry
“Heyday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heyday. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.
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