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
Scott Huver, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Asked about those concerns, Ridgeway reminisced about meals, weddings and wakes hosted during the group’s heyday.
—Rose Evans
updated December 10, Idaho Statesman, 10 Dec. 2025
Jordan and the Bulls would frequently spar with the Lakers during their heyday, including the 1991 NBA Finals and frequently in regular season action.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 10 Dec. 2025
The Chicago Bulls kicked off their 2025-26 season on a surprise 6-1 tear — a barrage of dominance not seen since the franchise's 1990s heyday — sans starting shooting guard Coby White.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 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 17 Dec. 2025.
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