holiday

noun

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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 holiday going on holiday —often used in plural spent 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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Synonyms for holiday

Synonyms: Noun

break,
hols
[British],
leave,
recess,
vacation

Synonyms: Verb

vacation

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 Since Memorial Day is considered a federal holiday, business and institutions like banks, post offices, schools, the DMV, and libraries are usually closed in recognition. — Ni'kesia Pannell, Woman's Day, "A Complete List of All the Stores Open on Memorial Day 2021," 28 Apr. 2021 The holiday, which commemorates fallen and missing veterans, also marks the unofficial start of summer, with families and friends gathering for backyard cookouts and parades. — Cameron Fields, cleveland, "Drive-through parades and socially distanced ceremonies: How COVID is changing Memorial Day in 2021," 28 Apr. 2021 Now the breed has been celebrated with a national holiday, which included a contest to find the best Alabai on show. — CNN, "Turkmenistan now has a national holiday in honor of its 'wolf-crusher' dogs," 26 Apr. 2021 On weed enthusiasts' high holiday of 4/20, cannabis analytics and tech provider Akerna projects that legal cannabis sales will cross $95 million in a single day. — Sy Mukherjee, Fortune, "The pandemic created the American cannabis consumer, and they’re not going away," 20 Apr. 2021 The scheme is for independent travelers, those not booking via a travel agent or holiday company and the government hopes to attract up to 35,000 people through it. — Alex Ledsom, Forbes, "Malta To Pay International Travelers To Visit Mediterranean This Summer," 19 Apr. 2021 The fastest-growing consumer products in Europe over the four weeks through March 21 were chocolate novelties—perhaps partly due to the earlier Easter holiday—Champagne, tequila, premixed alcohol and ready-to-drink coffee. — Carol Ryan, WSJ, "Shopping Carts Show Pent-Up Party Spirits," 8 Apr. 2021 Health officials said the figure was partly due to the Easter holiday, which delayed the count. — Anne Godlasky, USA TODAY, "Brazil COVID deaths exceed 4,000 in a day as mass graves, low oxygen supplies shake the nation," 7 Apr. 2021 Health officials said the figure was partly due to the Easter holiday, which delayed the count. — Mauricio Savarese, Chron, "Brazil's daily deaths from COVID pass 4,000 for first time," 7 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The surge came, worse than imagined, with Americans determined to holiday their way through the new year like the pandemic didn’t exist. — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, "Opinion: MLB's second season of pandemic ball remains a balancing act: Cash, competition and COVID-19," 26 Jan. 2021 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

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.