holiday

hol·i·day | \ ˈhä-lə-ˌdā

, British usually ˈhä-lə-dē \

Definition of holiday

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : holy day an important Muslim holiday

2 : a day on which one is exempt from work specifically : a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event will be closed for the July 4th holiday a national holiday plans for the holiday weekend

3 chiefly British : vacation —often used in the phrase on holidaygoing on holiday —often used in pluralspent the summer holidays in Spain

4 : a period of exemption or relief corporations enjoying a tax holiday

holiday

verb

holidayed; holidaying; holidays

Definition of holiday (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to take or spend a vacation or holiday (see holiday entry 1 sense 2) especially in travel or at a resort : vacation will holiday this year at the shore

Holiday

biographical name

Hol·i·day | \ ˈhä-lə-ˌdā

Definition of Holiday (Entry 3 of 3)

Eleanora 1915–1959 Billie American jazz singer

Other Words from holiday Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about holiday

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Examples of holiday in a Sentence

Noun July 4 is a national holiday in the U.S. The stock market is closed tomorrow because it's a holiday. She'll have four weeks' holiday next year. We're planning on taking a holiday in the Caribbean. Verb She likes holidaying in the Caribbean. saw kangaroos while holidaying in Australia

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Columbus Day honors Christopher Columbus and has been recognized as a federal holiday since 1934. — Craig Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Sen. Ron Johnson proposes dropping Columbus Day 'in exchange' for making Juneteenth a federal holiday," 1 July 2020 Legislation has been introduced in Congress several times to make Juneteenth either a national day of observance, similar to Flag Day or Patriot Day, or a full-scale federal holiday. — John Haughey, Washington Examiner, "Lawmaker to submit bill making Juneteenth a Florida holiday," 23 June 2020 Though Juneteenth isn't recognized as a federal holiday, Taylor Swift decided to give her employees the day off. — Rasha Ali, USA TODAY, "Usher, Lupita Nyong'o, Taylor Swift and more celebrities honor Juneteenth, call for action," 19 June 2020 There is now a push to acknowledge the day slavery ended in this country as a federal holiday, and, as a result, Juneteenth is being discovered for the first time by different communities. — Asia Ewart, refinery29.com, "How I’m Reflecting On Juneteenth Differently This Year," 19 June 2020 Support is rising for proposals in Congress to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. — Harold Maass, TheWeek, "The daily business briefing: June 19, 2020," 19 June 2020 But a federal holiday and protests aren’t enough, Lee said. — Dallas News, "At 93, this black woman continues march to make Juneteenth a national holiday," 18 June 2020 The date is not recognized as a federal holiday and is largely commemorated within the U.S. African American community. — Shamim Adam, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Reschedules Tulsa Campaign Rally to Avoid Juneteenth," 13 June 2020 The Italian explorer is even celebrated every October during a federal holiday named after him. — Alec Snyder, CNN, "Cuomo, de Blasio don't want to see Christopher Columbus statue removed or NYC's Columbus Circle renamed," 12 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb For the world’s beleaguered airline industry, the measures give travelers yet another reason to think twice before taking to the skies and will probably end Britons’ plans of holidaying abroad this summer. — James Ludden, Bloomberg.com, "Boris Johnson to Set Out Covid-19 Warning System," 12 May 2020 Morrison returned home early from holidaying in Hawaii ahead of Christmas following the death of two firefighters and amid criticism his government was doing too little to address climate change and a country-wide drought. — NBC News, "Mass evacuation as 'columns of fire' threaten Australian vacation area," 29 Dec. 2019 Macey Ellison, 18, and her family, who were holidaying in Mallacoota, in the southeastern state of Victoria, took cover in a friend’s small boat for more than four hours as the fire threatened the town. — Rachel Pannett, WSJ, "‘We Were Freaking Out.’ Terrifying Fire Season Takes a Bad Turn in Australia.," 1 Jan. 2020 Check out the video above to see what makes some of your faves’ holidays the Blackest celebration of all time. — Danielle Young, Essence, "Celebrating The Holidays While Black Is A Blessing," 24 Dec. 2019 Ticking off yet another Caribbean island, Queen Elizabeth II visited Mustique (where William and Kate are currently rumoured to be holidaying) with her sister Princess Margaret in 1977. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, "Royals on Holiday! See Favorite Vacation Spots of Princess Diana, Meghan Markle and More," 26 July 2019 The stimulus measures include incentives for Thais to holiday in their country, as well as extra support for farmers, small businesses and the poor. — The Economist, "Business this week," 22 Aug. 2019 According to the Sun, the Derby County manager, who has been holidaying in France with his family, is set to meet Roman Abramovich on his yacht in St Tropez this week for contractual talks. — SI.com, "Chelsea to Offer Frank Lampard 3-Year Contract as Talks With Roman Abramovich Begin," 18 June 2019 The couple that holidays together must be real, right?! — Noelle Devoe, Seventeen, "A Complete Timeline of Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart's Relationship," 30 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'holiday.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.