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Black Friday
noun
US
: the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving Day that is considered by retailers to mark the beginning of the holiday shopping season
Note: The origin of Black Friday in this sense is not known for certain. The day was allegedly so named either in reference to traffic congestion in central cities on the day after Thanksgiving or to the supposed fact that retailers' accounts shifted from red to black with the beginning of the shopping season.
Examples of Black Friday in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Prime Video also hit a new platform high at 4%, thanks in part to its exclusive Black Friday NFL telecast, Thursday Night Football and Dwayne Johnson holiday film Red One.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2025
Beyond holiday periods such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Labor Day when there may be some flash sales, January and February are particularly good times to book a cruise.
—Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 21 Jan. 2025
Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Images In a news release Thursday, Target said Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw record-high sales.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2025
Read more Jennifer Hussein is a commerce writer at Allure, where she's been finding the best beauty deals and sales for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day for the past three years.
—Sarah Madaus, Allure, 13 Jan. 2025
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Word History
First Known Use
1961, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near Black Friday
Cite this Entry
“Black Friday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Black%20Friday. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
Black Friday
noun
: the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving that is considered by some retailers to mark the beginning of the holiday shopping season
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