holy day

noun

: a day set aside for special religious observance

Examples of holy day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ash Wednesday overlap This year, Valentine's Day falls on Ash Wednesday, a Christian holy day marking the start of Lent. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 8 Feb. 2024 During the holy day, some churches mark the foreheads of worshippers with an ash cross. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 30 Jan. 2024 Fridays are holy days of rest in the Middle East, but today the region braces itself for the awful possibility of broader conflict. Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2024 The holy day commemorating the biblical story of the arrival of the three wise men bearing gifts, marks the end of the Christmas season. Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2023 The holy day brought a number of alumni to the campus that weekend – former students on active duty with the IDF, who happened to bring their weapons. Eben Brown, Fox News, 28 Dec. 2023 Both wars began with surprise attacks on Jewish holy days. Dov Waxman, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2023 The rain didn’t interrupt the strict rhythms of the holy day. Ismail Ibrahim, Curbed, 2 Nov. 2023 The war between Israel and the terrorist organization known as Hamas started on Oct. 7, when the group launched a large surprise attack against Israel during one of its holy days; as of Tuesday, over 4,000 people have been killed so far, including 30 Americans. Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'holy day.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of holy day was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Holy day.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy%20day. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

holy day

noun
: a day set aside for special religious observance

More from Merriam-Webster on holy day

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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