Definition of HEYDAY

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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 Old Corner Bookstore building, built in 1718, had an array of commercial uses after its publishing heyday, including pizza joint with billboards. — Jennifer Levitz, WSJ, "On Freedom Trail: Paul Revere’s House, the Old North Church—and Burritos," 30 Nov. 2018 In its between-the-wars heyday, Lincoln Road, one of the country’s first pedestrian malls, was referred to as the Fifth Avenue of the South. — Horacio Silva, Town & Country, "A Guide to Miami's Chicest Shopping Districts," 30 Nov. 2018 Even after their mid-2000s heyday, zombie movies just kept respawning well into the 2010s. — Rebecca Jennings, Vox, "Ghosts, witches, zombies: which supernatural creature makes the most money at the box office?," 31 Oct. 2018 The retail chain’s bankruptcy filing this week, after decades of slow decline, obscures just how disruptive Sears was in its early 20th century heyday. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "How Sears Kit Homes changed housing," 16 Oct. 2018 In its heyday around World War I, the group had about 100,000 members. — Christopher Carbone, Fox News, "Confederate monuments: This 124-year-old women's group is fighting to keep them around," 12 Aug. 2018 That story, however, will be told through the lens of the Michigan Central Station, which has seen its own heyday and devastating decline since opening in 1913. — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit train station documentary: How Ford, History made it happen," 29 June 2018 For the second straight season, Rondo came alive in the playoffs, flashing the ability that made him one of the more exciting players in the league back in his Boston heyday. — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, "Buyer Beware: Five Pricey Free Agents to Avoid," 27 June 2018 Rucker was the face of mainstream rock in his mid-'90s heyday, fronting Hootie & the Blowfish, whose debut remains among the all-time biggest-selling U.S. albums. — Ed Masley, azcentral, "Summer concerts in Phoenix: Eagles, Post Malone, Logic, Panic! at the Disco, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa," 15 June 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.