vacation
Americannoun
-
a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday.
Schoolchildren are on vacation now.
-
a part of the year, regularly set aside, when normal activities of law courts, legislatures, etc., are suspended.
-
freedom or release from duty, business, or activity.
-
an act or instance of vacating.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a period of the year when the law courts or universities are closed
-
a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation Also called (in Britain and certain other countries) holiday
-
the act of departing from or abandoning property, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
- minivacation noun
- prevacation noun
- vacationer noun
- vacationist noun
- vacationless adjective
Etymology
Origin of vacation
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin vacātiōn-, stem of vacātiō “freedom from something”; equivalent to vacate + -ion; replacing Middle English vacacioun, from Anglo-French
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.
The whole process would take several months and cost roughly the price of a swell vacation.
From Los Angeles Times
At the age of 13, he happened to meet a neighbor when they were both vacationing at a Catskills resort.
From Los Angeles Times
When my family decided to spend a vacation here, I looked forward to the French-influenced architecture, Gulf Coast seafood, and the historic hotel where our stay, to my surprise, would be subsidized by state-government retirees.
A reader shares good news — and some advice — with the Moneyist: After 46 years working, I’m not retiring — instead, I take a vacation every month.
From MarketWatch
Starring a stacked Guatemalan cast, including actor Tony Revolori, the project underlined the encroaching impacts of climate change that corrode once treasured memories, including those of Moreno, who grew up visiting the vacation destination.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
