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

Along with the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Iran, this attack ushered in the heyday of embassy sieges, from the Iranian Embassy in London to the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru. — Danielle Gilbert, Washington Post, "Will Colombia’s next president be a former left-wing guerrilla?," 15 June 2018 Just trade mansions for mid-century modern ranch homes that channel the town's glittering heyday of old-Hollywood visitors. — Charlotte Chilton, Town & Country, "What to Do on Your Next Trip to Palm Springs," 5 Mar. 2019 Though Delia’s continued to operate through the ’00s, the Dolls Kill team designed with its mid-’90s heyday in mind. — Eliza Brooke, Vox, "Delia’s, the iconic ’90s fashion catalog, is back — sort of," 2 Nov. 2018 By 2016 and 2017, that average had dropped to 3.9 and 4.0, respectively – and the total number of attempts had dropped by more than 100 from their heyday. — Larry Stone, The Seattle Times, "‘We’re just getting warmed up’: Seahawks stick to run, and offense regains its identity," 8 Oct. 2018 But surprisingly, a seemingly retro ad format — outdoor advertising — is also having its heyday. — Rani Molla, Recode, "Billboards — yes, billboards — are having a heyday in a digital world," 25 Sep. 2018 With slicked-back grey hair and a frail frame, Salemme is almost unrecognizable from the bulky mob boss depicted in grainy surveillance photos from his heyday. — Fox News, "Ex-Mafia boss 'Cadillac Frank' sentenced to life in prison," 13 Sep. 2018 Turnaround Hurdles GE has fallen far from its Jack Welch-era heyday at the turn of the century and achieving turnaround success will be tough. — Rick Clough, Bloomberg.com, "GE CEO’s Make-or-Break Overhaul Took Shape on a Ski Vacation," 27 June 2018 And many of our very favorite films from the rom-com heyday of the '80s and '90s, wouldn't hold up today. — Marie Claire, "Feminist Writers Re-Write the Endings to 3 Classic Rom-Coms," 15 Feb. 2019

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.