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 Most were vaccinated as the deadly holiday surge picked up in December and January, when millions were infected and more than 3,000 Americans were dying a day from COVID-19. — Julie Mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, "Large Study Confirms COVID Vaccines Are Working in the U.S., Reducing Risk of Infection by 90%," 29 Mar. 2021 The holiday surge the country experienced in terms of both new cases and deaths has abated. — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, "Restaurants and Diners Need to Act Like We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet with Covid-19," 25 Mar. 2021 Parents in Los Angeles, which is not too far removed from the devastating holiday surge, are still balancing the risks and rewards of in-person learning. — Thuc Nhi Nguyen Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Coronavirus Today: Lights, camera, action for movie theaters," 22 Mar. 2021 Some public health experts are concerned that fewer COVID tests are being administered as infection rates decline after a major holiday surge. — Tribune News Service, oregonlive, "Home COVID test wins FDA approval," 2 Mar. 2021 The rate of new cases among residents continued its decline nationally and throughout the state, following the conclusion of the winter holiday surge and the administration of vaccinations to residents and staff. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Active outbreaks continue falling in San Diego County skilled nursing homes," 27 Feb. 2021 Since the peak of the holiday surge in early January, New York City has seen a steep decline in the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus each day, as have the state and the nation. — Sharon Otterman, New York Times, "‘Everything Seems So Tenuous’: Variants Threaten N.Y.C.’s Progress on Virus," 25 Feb. 2021 After a holiday surge that killed more than 7,000 residents, coronavirus infections in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are declining steadily — an encouraging, but precarious, mark of progress, officials and experts say. — Washington Post, "Coronavirus cases are falling. But local officials say it’s too soon to ease most restrictions.," 19 Feb. 2021 After a brief holiday surge in which more people traveled than at any time since the coronavirus pandemic began, travel has remained stubbornly below 1 million air travelers a day, according to the Transportation Security Administration. — Tyler Van Dyke, Washington Examiner, "Delta Air Lines to bring back hundreds of pilots by summer after receiving federal aid," 25 Jan. 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.