Memorial Day

noun

1

: May 30 formerly observed as a legal holiday in most states of the U.S. in remembrance of war dead

2

: the last Monday in May observed as a legal holiday in most states of the U.S.

3

: confederate memorial day

Examples of Memorial Day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Montauk Yacht Club reopened under its historic name on Memorial Day Weekend in 2023. —Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

This summer, Carnival Cruise Line celebrates its 35th year of sailing from Port Canaveral while sailing nearly 322,000 guests from the port between Memorial Day and Labor Day. —Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2025

Father’s Day can sometimes seem like an afterthought in the late-spring holiday lineup: third place behind Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, a mere warm-up barbecue before the Fourth of July. —Augustine Sedgewick, Time, 13 June 2025

File photo: Lee Jae-myung attends a Memorial Day ceremony in Seoul on June 6, 2025. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Memorial Day

• andromache
• bioassay
• cabriolet
• cercariae
• communique
• companionway
• compositae
• decussate
• examinee
• fabaceae
• glyphosate
• microarray

Kids Definition

Memorial Day

noun

1

: May 30 once observed as a legal holiday in honor of those who died in war

2

: the last Monday in May observed as a legal holiday in most states of the U.S.