holiday | meaning of holiday in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE
holiday
hol‧i‧day
1
/
ˈhɒlədi, -deɪ
$
ˈhɑːlədeɪ
/
●●●
S1
W2
noun
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:
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.’
He came to stay with us in the school holidays.
in the holidays He came to stay with us in the school holidays.
I’m away on holiday until the 1st of June.
on holiday I’m away on holiday until the 1st of June.
He caught malaria while on holiday in Africa.
on holiday He caught malaria while on holiday in Africa.
We’re going to Spain for our holidays.
The 4th of July is a national holiday in the US.
a day fixed by law on which people do not have to go to work or school
GRAMMAR: Holidays
You use
holidays
when talking about a period when you are not working or studying, or when you are travelling.
•
You say
the holidays
:
Soon it will be the holidays.
•
You say
my/your/her etc holidays:
Where do you want to go for your holidays?
COLLOCATIONS
–
Meanings 1 & 2
verbs
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.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + holiday
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.
holiday + NOUN
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.
phrases
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.
