noun · neutral

holiday

UK/ˈhɒlədeɪ/US/ˈhɑːlədeɪ/HOL·i·day

Band 4-5speakingtask1task2

a period of time spent away from home or work for rest or travel; a public day off

Examples

We're going on holiday to Spain next month.

Public holidays mean shops will be closed on Monday.

School children get their summer holidays in July and August.

Band 8 sentence

During the summer holiday, I volunteered at a conservation project, which allowed me both to relax and to gain field experience.

Collocations

  • go on holiday
  • public holiday / bank holiday
  • two‑week holiday

Word family

holiday nounholidays noun (plural)holidaymaker noun

Common mistakes

I will go to vacation next month.I will go on holiday next month.

We had many holiday last year.We had many holidays last year.

Say it for a higher band

5vacation6break7+holiday

Synonyms

vacation

break

Easily confused

vacation

The family took a long vacation to Florida.

break

We had a short break in Paris last weekend.

Related words

Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.

In Travel & Holidays

Learn it with its set