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Showing results for holiday. Search instead for The+holidays.
Synonyms

holiday

1 American  
[hol-i-dey] / ˈhɒl ɪˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or in honor of some person.

  2. any day of exemption from work (working day ).

    Synonyms:
    break, vacation

  3. a time or period of exemption from any requirement, duty, assessment, etc..

    New businesses may be granted a one-year tax holiday.

  4. a religious feast day; holy day, especially any of several usually commemorative holy days observed in Judaism.

  5. Chiefly British. Sometimes holidays. a period of cessation from work or one of recreation; vacation.

  6. an unintentional gap left on a plated, coated, or painted surface.

adjective

  1. of or relating to a festival; festive; joyous.

    a holiday mood.

  2. suitable for a holiday.

    holiday attire.

verb (used without object)

  1. Chiefly British. to vacation.

    to holiday at the seaside.
Holiday 2 American  
[hol-i-dey] / ˈhɒl ɪˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. Billie Lady Day, 1915–59, U.S. jazz singer.

holiday 1 British  
/ -dɪ, ˈhɒlɪˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. (often plural)

    1. US and Canadian word: vacation.  a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation

    2. ( as modifier )

      a holiday mood

  2. a day on which work is suspended by law or custom, such as a religious festival, bank holiday, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to spend a holiday

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Holiday 2 British  
/ ˈhɒlɪˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. Billie. real name Eleanora Fagan; known as Lady Day. 1915–59, US jazz singer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
holiday Idioms  

  1. see busman's holiday.

Other Word Forms

  • preholiday adjective

Etymology

Origin of holiday

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English hāligdæg; equivalent to holy + day

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.

As Israel prepared for the Passover holiday, which began at sunset Wednesday, air raid sirens sounded repeatedly in the Tel Aviv area.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Mattel’s shares plummeted in February after the company announced weak holiday season sales, with Barbie products taking a big hit.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

There are some other holiday shutdowns to note.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

The holiday “for the rest of us” was popularized by the show as a secular, noncommercial alternative to Christmas that also features an airing of grievances, feats of strength and Festivus miracles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

It was wonderful to be home with the family for O Bon, the biggest holiday of the year.

From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr

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.