Black Friday

American  

[blak frahy-dey, -dee] / ˈblæk ˈfraɪ deɪ, -di /

noun

1. September 24, 1869, the date of a financial panic sparked by gold speculators.

2. the day after Thanksgiving, one of the busiest shopping days because of discounts offered by retailers.

   I sign up for promotional emails at my favorite stores before Black Friday so I don’t miss any exceptional bargains.

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Black Friday Idioms  

1. Also Black Monday, Black Tuesday, etc. A day of economic catastrophe, as in We feared there'd be another Black Friday . This usage dates from September 24, 1869, a Friday when stock manipulators Jay Gould and James Fisk tried to corner the gold market and caused its collapse. The adjective black has been appended to similar occasions ever since, including October 29, 1929, the Tuesday of the market collapse that marked the start of the Great Depression, and Black Monday of October 19, 1987, when the stock market experienced its greatest fall since the Great Depression.

2. Any day marked by great confusion or activity, as in It was just my luck to be traveling on Black Tuesday . This usage, too, is based on the events of 1869, marked by economic chaos. It has since been extended to other kinds of confusion, such as an accident hampering traffic during the evening rush hour.

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Etymology

Origin of Black Friday

First recorded in 1865–70; from black in the sense “marked by disaster or misfortune”; the 1951 sense “day after Thanksgiving” originally so called from the troublesome traffic caused by shoppers and later re-explained with reference to the use of black ink to record business profits

Example Sentences

Both offer frequent promotions, especially around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

From Salon

Strong sales during Black Friday week at the end of November led to subdued demand in December, while the timing of Lunar New Year also dented demand.

From The Wall Street Journal

This Nowruz should have been the equivalent of Black Friday for him, but his business was halved compared with last year, he estimated.

From Los Angeles Times

Now in their twelfth year, the July Prime Day sales generated an estimated $24 billion External link over four days in 2025, about twice External link what U.S. consumers spent overall at online retailers on Black Friday last year, according to data from Adobe Analytics.

From Barron's

With all the online Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping you plan on doing, it’s a good idea to take a proactive preventative measure to ensure the data you’re transmitting while surfing for steals stays safe.

From Salon