heyday

interjection

hey·day | \ ˈhā-ˌdā

Definition of heyday

(Entry 1 of 2)

archaic

—used to express elation or wonder

heyday

noun

Definition of heyday (Entry 2 of 2)

1 archaic : high spirits

2 : the period of one's greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity

Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about heyday

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Did You Know?

Noun

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). Around the same time, "heyday" saw use as a noun meaning "high spirits." (This sense can be seen in Act III, Scene IV 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….") It wasn’t until the 18th century that English speakers, perhaps interpreting the "day" of the second syllable to mean "a time or period," began using "heyday" to refer 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: Noun

The heyday of ABC’s family sitcom slate passed a couple of years ago, but Speechless is just now really coming into its own, in season 2 and now season 3. — Noel Murray, The Verge, "The 20 best TV series of 2018," 12 Dec. 2018 The series has also been a chance for the veteran cast to swap stories from the heydays of the '80s and '90s. — Jessica Radloff, Glamour, "The Parents of Riverdale Were All Really Famous Teens—And Yes, They Have Stories," 7 Nov. 2018 The British Museum houses important artifacts and art works acquired during the heyday of the British Empire, including the Rosetta Stone and sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens. — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, "UK teen in all-female Islamic State cell convicted of plotting museum attack," 2 Oct. 2018 For better or worse, the heyday of those movies was in previous decades. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "How David Lowery ended up directing Robert Redford’s final movie," 29 Sep. 2018 The time dial was set to styles from between 1978 and 1985 — the heyday of the club. — Thomas Adamson, The Seattle Times, "Dior and Gucci theatrically kick off Paris Fashion Week," 24 Sep. 2018 Those two little caterpillars resting above your eyes are in the heyday of their golden age. — Sable Yong, Allure, "How to Contour Your Brows With Benefit's New 4-in-1 Brow Contour Pro," 6 Aug. 2018 These were radiocarbon dated to between 1100 and 1650 CE—the heyday of the bison jumps. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Native Americans managed the prairie for better bison hunts," 25 July 2018 Nutrition science has come a long way since the heyday of egg white omelets, and much of the traditional advice about saturated fat and cholesterol wasn’t based upon good science to begin with. — Stephanie Eckelkamp, Good Housekeeping, "I Ate 3 Eggs Every Day for a Week — Here’s What I Learned," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heyday.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.