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

Keep scrolling for more

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 Workers continued for another five hours, extracting the obelisk from its 115-year-old base, completing a project that began on a state holiday – the birthday of Jefferson Davis, the Confederacy’s only president. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, "Of marches and monuments: 5 days in Alabama," 3 June 2020 German identified as suspect in case of missing British girl: British police said a German man has been identified as a suspect in the case of a 3-year-old British girl who disappeared 13 years ago while on holiday in Portugal. — Washington Post, "World Digest: June 3, 2020," 3 June 2020 Stay right in the center of the action on your London holiday without breaking the bank. — Macy Sirmans, Travel + Leisure, "London's 10 Best Affordable Hotels, According to Hotels.com," 3 June 2020 Similar to the holiday lighting competition, the city is encouraging residents to decorate their front yards in a patriotic theme. — John Benson, cleveland, "Parma cancels Independence Day Parade, announces Parma Patriotic Pride home-decorating display," 3 June 2020 European countries are beginning to ease some of their travel restrictions, opening up the possibility of summer holidays abroad. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN, "What you need to know about coronavirus on Wednesday, June 3," 3 June 2020 The Sugar Plum Market, a holiday shopping event featuring more than 100 vendors each year, has raised more than $4.5 million for local charities since its inception. — Claire Goodman, Houston Chronicle, "Fort Bend Junior Service League recruiting new members," 2 June 2020 In comparison, Italy’s capital city Rome, a popular holiday destination for Britons, sees an average of 621 hours in the spring and in the Turkish city, Istanbul – 548 hours. — Madeline Roache, Time, "U.K. Records Sunniest Spring Ever Amid Worrying Climate Change Trends," 2 June 2020 Airlines aren’t expecting the normal surge traditionally seen on holiday weekends, according to the Airlines for America trade group. — Ryan Beene, Bloomberg.com, "Americans Venture Out for Holiday Travel in Test of Containment," 2 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb 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 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.