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

Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day. —Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025

The movie technically kicks off the summer 2026 box office on Memorial Day weekend since there isn’t a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to do so. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 22 Sep. 2025

Oh, by the way, the 110th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is set for Sunday, May 24, 2025, on Memorial Day Weekend. —Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

In most cases, flying the flag at half-staff marks a significant death, such as a government official or military member; a national tragedy or a national day of remembrance, such as Patriot Day or Memorial Day. —Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Sep. 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.