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
Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 28 Nov. 2025
Because Hollywood has essentially written off China as a dependable market, compared to the heyday of 2012-2019.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2025
Back in the heyday of the brand, original adult dramas and comedies lived alongside a vast library of the biggest movies on the planet.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025
Her Chanel shield-style sunglasses, meanwhile, had quite the heyday in the early 2000s, too.
—Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 22 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 29 Nov. 2025.
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