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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.
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Examples of heyday in a Sentence
Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
During Chicago’s auto racing heyday, a NASCAR race in Soldier Field ended in a razor-slim victory by Fireball Roberts
Stock car racing evokes images of county fairs and Southern racetracks, like the one in Roberts’ hometown that hosts the Daytona 500.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2024
In 1978: The first transatlantic balloon flight was successfully completed, long after the modality’s heyday.
—The Arizona Republic, 17 Aug. 2024
After their heyday in the 1960s and ‘70s, the fiberglass statues began disappearing from the landscape.
—Paul Eisenberg, Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heyday.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Heyday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heyday. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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