holiday
(Informal)
[noun]
Synonyms:
- vacation, break, leave, recess, time off
- festival, celebration, feast, fête, gala

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English Thesaurus: break, smash, snap, split, fracture, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

Hol‧i‧day, Bil‧lie /ˈhɒlədeɪ, ˈhɒlɪdeɪ $ ˈhɑː-, ˈbɪli/
(1915–59) a US jazz and BLUES singer, who was also called ‘Lady Day’ and is regarded as one of the greatest jazz and blues singers ever. She wrote her life story in a book called Lady Sings the Blues, which was later made into a film.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

I. hol‧i‧day¹ S1 W2 /ˈhɒlədi, ˈhɒlɪdi, -deɪ $ ˈhɑːlədeɪ/ noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: haligdæg 'holy day']

1. [uncountable and countable] British English (also holidays) a time of rest from work, school etc Synonym : vacation American English:
The school holidays start tomorrow.
on holiday
I’m away on holiday until the 1st of June.
in the holidays
He came to stay with us in the school holidays.
holiday from
a holiday from her usual responsibilities

REGISTER
In everyday British English, when someone is temporarily away from their work or studies, people often say they are off, rather than on holiday. Note, however, that off can also mean that someone is away from their work or studies because they are sick:
‘Where’s Kate?’ ‘She’s off this week.’

2. [uncountable and countable] British English (also holidays) a period of time when you travel to another place for pleasure Synonym : vacation American English:
We’re going to Spain for our holidays.
on holiday
He caught malaria while on holiday in Africa.
I haven’t had a proper holiday for two years.

3. [countable] a day fixed by law on which people do not have to go to work or school:
The 4th of July is a national holiday in the US.

4. the holiday season (also the holidays)
a) American English the period between Thanksgiving and New Year
b) British English the period in the summer when most people take a holiday
⇒ bank holiday, public holiday


GRAMMAR
Holidays is usually used after 'the', 'my', 'your' etc when it refers to a single period when you are travelling or are not working or studying:
Soon it will be the holidays.
Where do you want to go for your holidays?

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. holiday² verb [intransitive]
British English to spend your holiday in a place – used especially in news reports Synonym : vacation American English
holiday in/at
They’re holidaying in Majorca.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

holiday
noun
I. period of time away from home for pleasure
ADJ. enjoyable, exciting, fun-filled, good, lovely, wonderful | disastrous We had a disastrous camping holiday.
dream What would be your dream holiday?
foreign, overseas | summer, winter | 7-night, two-week, etc. | package | family | activity, adventure, camping, skiing I learned to windsurf on an activity holiday.
VERB + HOLIDAY go on, have, take We're going on holiday to France this summer. Are you having a holiday this year?
book Have you booked your summer holiday yet?
cancel I got ill and had to cancel my holiday.
HOLIDAY + NOUN destination, resort, venue a popular seaside holiday resort
accommodation, cottage, home They also have a holiday home at the seaside.
camp, complex, village | period, season The pool is open throughout the holiday season.
brochure | business, company, firm The recession hit the package holiday business hard.
insurance You should take out holiday insurance before you leave.
arrangements, plans | romance Their holiday romance turned into a lasting relationship.
photos, snaps
PREP. on (a) ~ They met while on holiday in Spain.
PHRASES a holiday of a lifetime This is your chance to win the holiday of a lifetime.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

holiday
II. period of rest from work/school
ADJ. annual, Christmas, Easter, summer The centre is now closed for the Christmas holidays.
school | paid
VERB + HOLIDAY be entitled to, get, have You are entitled to 24 days' paid holiday per year. I have three weeks' holiday a year.
take I'm taking the rest of my holiday in October.
spend She spent her holiday decorating the flat.
need I really need a holiday!
HOLIDAY + NOUN time | entitlement | pay | job She had a holiday job as a gardener when she was a student.
PREP. during the ~s It can be difficult to keep children occupied during the long summer holidays.
in the ~s My aunt's coming to stay in the holidays.
on ~ I'm afraid Mr Adamek is on holiday this week.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

holiday
III. day when people do not go to work/school
ADJ. bank, national, public, religious
HOLIDAY + NOUN weekend The roads will be busy on Monday as it's a holiday weekend.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

holiday

go on holiday
The children were excited about going on holiday.
have/take a holiday
Teachers cannot take holidays during term time.
book a holiday
I booked the holiday online.
a skiing/camping/walking etc holiday
They went on a camping holiday in France.
a package holiday (=a holiday in which you pay a price that includes travel, room, and food)
The company organizes package holidays to Spain and Greece.
a summer holiday
They were going to a house on the coast for their summer holidays.
a winter holiday
Why not try a winter holiday for a change?
a family holiday
I first visited Orkney on a family holiday when I was a boy.
an annual holiday (=a holiday you take every year)
We were getting ready for our annual holiday in Cornwall.
your dream holiday (=the best holiday you can imagine)
They won a dream holiday for two to the Caribbean.
a holiday resort (=a place with many hotels where a lot of people go on holiday)
a holiday resort in Spain
a holiday destination (=a town or country where a lot of people go on holiday)
Marmaris is one of Turkey's most popular holiday destinations.
a holiday brochure (=a magazine that shows what holidays you can take)
We were looking through holiday brochures thinking about the summer.
holiday photos (also holiday snaps informal) (=photographs that you take when you are on holiday)
Do you want to see our holiday snaps?
a holiday romance (=a brief romantic relationship with someone you meet on holiday)
It was just a holiday romance; I never saw him again.
a holiday abroad (=a holiday in a country other than the one you live in)
They were planning a holiday abroad that year.
the holiday of a lifetime (=a very good or expensive holiday that you will only take once)
We took the family on a holiday of a lifetime to Orlando, Florida.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

holiday
noun
1.
BAD: She said she was going on holidays to France.
GOOD: She said she was going on holiday to France.
BAD: I've just got back from holidays.
GOOD: I've just got back from holiday.

Usage Note:
Speakers of British English use (be/go) on holiday, (return/get back) from holiday (WITHOUT -s ): 'I met her while I was on holiday in Switzerland.' 'We're supposed to be going on holiday with them.'
The plural form holidays is usually used with the/my/your etc: 'Where are you going for your holiday/s this year?' 'During the long summer holiday/s some students get a part-time job.'
Speakers of American Engish use (be/go) on vacation etc.

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2.
BAD: The children stay up late when they are in their holidays.
GOOD: The children stay up late when they are on holiday.
BAD: In those days we couldn't afford to go in holidays.
GOOD: In those days we couldn't afford to go on holiday.

Usage Note:
(be/go) on holiday (NOT in (your) holidays ): 'Mark's on holiday this week.' 'On holiday I just like to relax and read a book or two.'

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3.
BAD: It's time you made a holiday.
GOOD: It's time you had a holiday.
BAD: At Easter a lot of pensioners go to Lugano to make a holiday.
GOOD: At Easter a lot of pensioners go to Lugano to have a holiday.

Usage Note:
DO · HAVE · MAKE · TAKE
Many phrases begin with a very common very such as do, make, have, or take : ‘I felt very nervous about taking the test but, after having a long talk with Mrs Fisher, I decided I would just do my best and try not to make too many silly mistakes .’ These verbs can be combined with some nouns but not with others and since they do not have a clear meaning of their own, choosing the right combination can be a problem. Phrases which tend to cause difficulty are shown below.
HAVE
have a bath (or esp. AmE take ) ‘She’s probably upstairs having a bath.’
Have (your) breakfast ‘We usually have breakfast in the kitchen.’
Have (your) dinner ‘We had dinner and then went for a walk.’
Have a drink ‘I’ll collapse if I don’t have a drink soon.’
Have (an) experience ‘He has no experience of running a large company.’
Have fun ‘You can’t stop people from having fun.’
Have a holiday ‘It’s almost a year since we had a real holiday.’
Have an interview ‘I’ve had six interviews but no one has offered me a job.’
Have a lesson ‘Every morning we have three fifty-minute lessons.’
Have (your) lunch ‘Isn’t it about time we had lunch?’
Have an operation ‘Before I had the operation I could hardly walk.’
Have a party ‘On Saturday we’re having a party.’
Have a picnic ‘If it’s sunny we could have a picnic.’
Have a shower (or esp. AmE take) ‘It only takes me a minute to have a shower.’
TAKE
Take/do an examination ‘Why do we have to take so many tests?’
Take (your) medicine ‘Don’t forget to take your medicine.’
Take a pill ‘He refuses to take sleeping pills.’
Take/do a test ‘The last test I took was a disaster.’
MAKE
Make an effort ‘I had to make a big effort not to laugh.’
Make a journey ‘It was the first journey he’d made all on his own.’
Make a mistake ‘He has made a serious mistake.’
Make a noise ‘How can one small child make so much noise?’
Make progress ‘I made very little progress at the start of the course.’
DO
Do your best ‘Don’t worry, Tim. Just do your best.’
Do (or cause) damage ‘The storm did a lot of damage to the crops.’
Do an exercise ‘Have you done your exercises today?’
Do an experiment ‘To do this experiment, you’ll need two eggs.’
Do (sb) good ‘The holiday has done him a lot of good.’
Do harm ‘A scandal would do his reputation a lot of harm.’
Do your homework ‘Have you done your homework yet?’
Do a job ‘I’ve got one or two jobs to do this evening.’
Do the/some shopping ‘Jake has gone into town to do some shopping.’
Do research ‘We need to do a lot more research.’
Do things ‘We’ve done lots of different things today.’
Do your training ‘Where did you do your training?’
Note also: do something/anything etc: ‘I can’t come now – I’m doing something.’ ‘He hasn’t done anything wrong.'

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4.
See PASS1

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

break verb [transitive] to damage something and make it separate into pieces, for example by dropping it or hitting it:
Careful you don’t break the chair.
He broke his leg.
smash verb [transitive] to break something with a lot of force:
A policeman smashed his camera.
snap verb [transitive] to break something into two pieces, making a loud noise – used especially about long thin objects:
He snapped the sticks in two.
split verb [transitive] to separate something into two pieces along a straight line:
Using a sharp knife, split the melon in half.
fracture verb [transitive] to damage a bone, especially so that a line appears on the surface:
I fell over and fractured my wrist.
tear /teə $ ter/ verb [transitive] to damage paper or cloth by pulling it so that it separates into pieces:
She tore up the letter and put it in the bin.
I tore my jacket.
shatter verb [intransitive] to break into a lot of small pieces:
The glass shattered all over the pavement.
crack verb [intransitive] if something cracks, a line appears on the surface, which means that it could later break into separate pieces:
The ice was starting to crack.
burst verb [intransitive] if a tyre, balloon, pipe etc bursts, it gets a hole and air or liquid suddenly comes out of it:
She blew up the balloon until it burst.
crumble verb [intransitive] to break into a powder or a lot of small pieces:
The cork just crumbled in my hand.
have/take a break
After two hours, she took a break and switched on the radio.
need a break
I’m sorry, I can’t do any more - I need a break.
a short/quick break
Shall we have a quick five-minute break?
a lunch break
What time’s your lunch break?
a coffee/tea break
How about a coffee break?
a morning/afternoon break
I don’t usually have time for a morning break.
a well-earned break (=one that you deserve)
Everyone’s looking forward to a well-earned break when the exams are over.
vacation especially American English, holiday especially British English time you spend away from school or work:
Are you taking a vacation this summer?
We met on holiday in Cyprus.
What are you doing in the school holidays?
holiday a day that is set by law, when no one has to go to work or school:
the Thanksgiving holiday
New Year's Day is a national holiday.
In 2002, there was an extra public holiday to mark the Queen's golden jubilee.
the August bank holiday (=day when all the banks and shops are closed – used in British English)
leave a time when you are allowed not to work:
We get four weeks' annual leave (=paid time off work each year).
He has been taking a lot of sick leave (=time off work because you are ill) recently.
Angela is on maternity leave (= time off work when having a baby).
He was given compassionate leave (=time off work because someone close to you has died, is very ill etc) to go to his father's funeral.
sabbatical [usually singular] a period when someone, especially a teacher, stops doing their usual work in order to study or travel:
She was on sabbatical for six months.
I'm thinking of taking a sabbatical.
furlough a period of time when a soldier or someone working in another country can return to their own country as a holiday:
While on furlough, he and his girlfriend got married.
R & R (rest and relaxation) a holiday, especially one given to people in the army, navy etc after a long period of hard work or during a war:
Soldiers in Vietnam were taken to Hawaii for R & R.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

leave:
Just as I was leaving the house, the phone rang.
We left early to avoid the traffic.
go especially spoken to leave somewhere:
Come on, boys, it’s time to go.
When does the next bus go?
set off especially British English to leave somewhere and begin a journey:
The following day we set off for Vienna.
take off if a plane takes off, it leaves the ground at the beginning of a flight:
Our plane took off late because of the fog.
emigrate to leave your own country in order to live permanently in another country:
In 2002, his family emigrated to New Zealand.
depart formal to leave – used especially about trains, buses, planes etc:
Coaches depart for the airport every 30 minutes.
graduate to successfully finish your studies at a college or university, or at an American high school:
Kelly graduated from Harvard with a degree in East Asian Studies.
Approximately 80% of Americans graduate from high school.
drop out to leave school, college, or university before your course of study has finished, because you do not want to continue with it:
I failed my first year exams and decided to drop out and get a job.
quit American English to leave school without finishing your course of study:
He quit school at fourteen to work and help support his family.
resign to officially announce that you have decided to leave your job:
The company director was forced to resign over the scandal.
hand in your notice/resignation to write an official letter to your employer saying that you are going to leave your job on a particular date:
You have to hand in your notice at least four weeks before you leave.
retire to leave your job in order to stop working permanently, usually because you have reached the age when most people stop working:
After forty years of working for the bank, Karl retired in May.
He had to retire because of ill health.
annual leave (=an amount of time that you are allowed away from work for holidays etc)
Annual leave is 22 days plus public holidays.
maternity leave (=time that a mother is allowed away from work to have and take care of a new baby)
Two teachers were off on maternity leave.
paternity leave (=time that a father is allowed away from work to take care of a new baby)
He got five days’ paternity leave.
parental leave (=time that a parent is allowed away from work to take care of a child)
Parental leave is often unpaid.
sick leave (also medical leave American English) (=time that you are allowed away from work because you are ill)
The form must be filled in as soon as you return from sick leave.
compassionate leave (=time that you are allowed away from work because someone in your family is very ill or has died)
Eileen was given compassionate leave to go to the funeral.
paid/unpaid leave
She took three days unpaid leave in order to help her daughter.
home leave (=time that you are allowed to spend at home from a job that is far away, for example in the army, or from prison)
Roberts had failed to return from home leave, and there was a warrant out for his arrest.
shore leave (=time that a sailor is allowed to spend on land and away from work)
Hong Kong was a popular place for shore leave.
special leave (=time that you are allowed away from work for a special reason)
Some firms grant special leave when you move house.
study leave British English (=time that you are allowed away from work because you are taking a course)
The company offers study leave for staff development.
sabbatical leave (=time that a teacher is allowed away from work to study or travel)
Headteachers can take sabbatical leave every five years.
indefinite leave (=leave without a time limit)
She has gone on indefinite leave, suffering from exhaustion.
leave entitlement (=the amount of time that you are allowed to spend away from work on holidays etc)
The normal paid leave entitlement is 20 days.
have/get leave
How much annual leave do you get?
be entitled to leave (=be allowed to have as leave)
After five years, employees are entitled to 25 days’ leave.
go on leave (=start your time away from work)
I’ll get the report to you before you go on leave.
take leave (=use the time you are allowed)
I don’t think I’ll be able to take any leave in January because we’re too busy.
use (up) leave
I used all my leave in the summertime.
give/grant somebody leave
He was given compassionate leave.
cancel sb’s leave (=stop people taking leave)
The Police Department cancelled all leave because of the emergency.
vacation especially American English, holiday especially British English time you spend away from school or work:
Are you taking a vacation this summer?
We met on holiday in Cyprus.
What are you doing in the school holidays?
holiday a day that is set by law, when no one has to go to work or school:
the Thanksgiving holiday
New Year's Day is a national holiday.
In 2002, there was an extra public holiday to mark the Queen's golden jubilee.
the August bank holiday (=day when all the banks and shops are closed – used in British English)
break a time when you stop working or studying in order to rest, or a short vacation from school:
a ten-minute coffee break
Lots of college kids come to the beaches during the spring break.
sabbatical [usually singular] a period when someone, especially a teacher, stops doing their usual work in order to study or travel:
She was on sabbatical for six months.
I'm thinking of taking a sabbatical.
furlough a period of time when a soldier or someone working in another country can return to their own country as a holiday:
While on furlough, he and his girlfriend got married.
R & R (rest and relaxation) a holiday, especially one given to people in the army, navy etc after a long period of hard work or during a war:
Soldiers in Vietnam were taken to Hawaii for R & R.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

vacation especially American English, holiday especially British English time you spend away from school or work:
Are you taking a vacation this summer?
We met on holiday in Cyprus.
What are you doing in the school holidays?
holiday a day that is set by law, when no one has to go to work or school:
the Thanksgiving holiday
New Year's Day is a national holiday.
In 2002, there was an extra public holiday to mark the Queen's golden jubilee.
the August bank holiday (=day when all the banks and shops are closed – used in British English)
break a time when you stop working or studying in order to rest, or a short vacation from school:
a ten-minute coffee break
Lots of college kids come to the beaches during the spring break.
leave a time when you are allowed not to work:
We get four weeks' annual leave (=paid time off work each year).
He has been taking a lot of sick leave (=time off work because you are ill) recently.
Angela is on maternity leave (= time off work when having a baby).
He was given compassionate leave (=time off work because someone close to you has died, is very ill etc) to go to his father's funeral.
sabbatical [usually singular] a period when someone, especially a teacher, stops doing their usual work in order to study or travel:
She was on sabbatical for six months.
I'm thinking of taking a sabbatical.
furlough a period of time when a soldier or someone working in another country can return to their own country as a holiday:
While on furlough, he and his girlfriend got married.
R & R (rest and relaxation) a holiday, especially one given to people in the army, navy etc after a long period of hard work or during a war:
Soldiers in Vietnam were taken to Hawaii for R & R.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

holiday
ˈhɔlədɪ
See: half-holiday

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲