jubilee

noun ju·bi·lee \ ˈjü-bə-(ˌ)lē , ˌjü-bə-ˈlē \

Updated on: 28 Mar 2018

Definition of jubilee

1 a : a special anniversary; especially : a 50th anniversary

b : a celebration of such an anniversary

2 a : jubilation

b : a season of celebration

3 often capitalized : a year of emancipation and restoration provided by ancient Hebrew law to be kept every 50 years by the emancipation of Hebrew slaves, restoration of alienated lands to their former owners, and omission of all cultivation of the land

4 a : a period of time proclaimed by the Roman Catholic pope ordinarily every 25 years as a time of special solemnity

b : a special plenary indulgence granted during a year of jubilee to Roman Catholics who perform certain specified works of repentance and piety

5 : a religious song of black Americans usually referring to a time of future happiness

See jubilee defined for English-language learners

See jubilee defined for kids

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Examples of jubilee in a Sentence

the town is planning a year-long jubilee in celebration of its founding 200 years ago

Recent Examples of jubilee from the Web

Although the whole evening was definitely a call for jubilee, the best part was Blue’s handwritten notes celebrating the award winners.

— refinery29.com, "Blue Ivy Went Viral At The Wearable Art Gala For Bidding $19K On Art," 18 Mar. 2018
Sessions have themes like sports jubilee, wonders of the world and Harry Potter.

— emily udell, Indianapolis Star, "25 best summer camps for curious kids in Central Indiana," 18 Feb. 2018
The Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society announced the annual jubilee's cancellation in a Facebook post Monday morning, ending years of speculation about its economic viability amidst falling turnout.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "Sacramento Music Festival fades out after 44 years," 18 Dec. 2017
Ultimately, these low oxygen areas - the cause of our famous jubilee phenomenon - are now so persistent in many areas, no life can survive.

— ben raines, AL.com, "Can 100 trillion oyster eggs save Mobile Bay?," 24 Dec. 2017
The golden-jubilee rally came just days after violent religious protests that shocked the country and overwhelmed the government, leaving the army to step in and negotiate an end to the confrontation.

— shaiq hussain, Washington Post, "Once a mighty political force, the Pakistan People’s Party is struggling to make a comeback," 11 Dec. 2017
Almost none of the original Bolsheviks whom the jubilee might have honored still survived; Stalin, or time, had done away with the others.

— olga ingurazova, Smithsonian, "What Ever Happened to the Russian Revolution?," 29 Sep. 2017
The Black Hood sends Betty a letter explaining that her speech at the jubilee is the very thing that inspired him.

— samantha highfill, PEOPLE.com, "Riverdale Recap: What's Betty's Connection to the Black Hood Serial Killer?," 2 Nov. 2017
Apparently, her speech at the jubilee from last season is his inspiration.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "'Riverdale' Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: The Black Hood Makes an Unexpected Move," 1 Nov. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of jubilee

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French jubilé, from Late Latin jubilaeus, modification of Late Greek iōbēlaios, from Hebrew yōbhēl ram's horn, jubilee

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

jubilee Synonyms

Synonyms

carnival, celebration, fest, festival, festivity, fete (or fête), fiesta, gala;

exhibit, exhibition, exposition, fair, show;

Other Number-Related Terms

myriad, quarantine, score, twain

jubilee

adjective, often capitalized

Definition of jubilee

: flambé

cherries jubilee

First Known Use of jubilee

1951

JUBILEE Defined for English Language Learners

jubilee

noun

Definition of jubilee for English Language Learners

: a special anniversary; also : a celebration at the time of such an anniversary

JUBILEE Defined for Kids

jubilee

noun ju·bi·lee \ ˈjü-bə-ˌlē , ˌjü-bə-ˈlē \

Definition of jubilee for Students

1 : a 50th anniversary

2 : a time of celebration

History for jubilee

In ancient Hebrew tradition every 50th year was a time of restoration, when slaves were freed and lands restored to their former owners. This year took its Hebrew name, yōbhēl, from the ram's horn trumpets sounded to proclaim its coming. When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek, yōbhēl was rendered as iōbēlaios. Under the influence of the Latin verb jubilare, “to let out joyful shouts,” the Greek word became jubilaeus in Latin, from which it came into English in the 1300s.