heyday
1 Americannoun
-
the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime.
the heyday of the vaudeville stars.
-
Archaic. high spirits.
interjection
noun
Etymology
Origin of heyday1
1580–90; variant of high day, apparently by confusion with heyday 2
Origin of heyday2
1520–30; rhyming compound based on hey; replacing heyda < German hei da hey there
Explanation
A heyday is a peak of popularity or success. If you hear someone say "Hey! Back in the day, I was the best boxer in the city! No one could beat me!" he might be remembering his heyday as a fighter. If you remember a time in the past when you were doing something really well or getting a lot of attention or fame, you might be reminiscing about your heyday. A person or an organization — and even a thing — can have a heyday, or a peak time when everything goes well. The good news is that a heyday can come again and again, so while your heyday as student president might be just a memory, there might be a heyday as governor of your state years later.
Vocabulary lists containing heyday
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Wonder
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
West also was an executive for the Golden State Warriors in their heyday, providing crucial advice on player personnel.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
The political formation enjoyed a heyday for a number of years before sinking into a glacial decline, its currency dwindling in most places except for Bluesky, where it still thrives.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
The subsequent investigation under New York’s Martin Act brought down the Consolidated, and helped end the heyday of the bucket shop.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
During its wedding heyday in the early 2000s, the resort hosted 360 a year, sometimes three a day, according to Antje Tourneur, guest experience director.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
But superimposed over the ruins was another layer of reality - a spectral mirage of the palace as it must have appeared in its heyday.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
