Groundhog Day

noun

1

: February 2 observed traditionally as a day that indicates six more weeks of winter if sunny or an early spring if cloudy

2

or less commonly groundhog day plural Groundhog Days also groundhog days : a situation in which the same usually negative or monotonous experiences occur repeatedly or are felt to occur repeatedly with no change or correction

Last month … I wrote all about how this lockdown has stolen my fashion mojo, locking me in a Groundhog Day of joggers and knitted sets.

—Penny Goldstone

How long before this Groundhog Day cycle of anxiety and illness ends and we can go back to some version of normal?

—Michiko Kakutani

The reality is that climate negotiations have long been stalled, lost in a Groundhog Day cycle of yearly meetings ending in plans for more meetings.

—Ruth Greenspan Bell and Barry Blechman

… the unrelenting endless cycle of groundhog days and going nowhere wears thin.

—Joan O'Donnell

Examples of Groundhog Day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From the time turner in Harry Potter to a Delorean at 88 miles-per-hour in Back To The Future to the countless time loops experienced by the protagonist in Groundhog Day, traveling back in time provides us with the possibility of righting wrongs that have already occurred in the past. —Big Think, 20 June 2024

The first taste of spring in NYC comes almost a month after Groundhog Day on Feb.2, when Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow and erroneously predicted an early spring. —Evan Rosen, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2024

Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring at Groundhog Day festivities Think the news industry was struggling already? —Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2024

When is Groundhog Day 2024? Groundhog Day occurs each year on Feb. 2. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 Feb. 2024

The Second Chances Wildlife Center shared on social media that their beloved weather-predicting groundhog, Major, died on Groundhog Day. —Katie Wiseman, The Courier-Journal, 12 June 2024

Beginning with Billy Madison, Sandler had been in a Groundhog Day–like cycle of playing versions of the same man-child. —Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2024

Here's what to know about Buckeye Chuck's Groundhog Day forecast and how to watch. —Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 2 Feb. 2024

Did the Milwaukee County Zoo's groundhog see his shadow this Groundhog Day? —Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 2 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from the superstition that a groundhog emerging from its burrow returns to hibernate if it sees its shadow on this day; (sense 2) after the film Groundhog Day (1993), with screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis, in which the main character is forced to relive the same day (February 2, Groundhog Day) until he learns certain life lessons

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

Groundhog Day

noun

: February 2 when according to tradition the groundhog comes out of its burrow and if it sees its shadow and is frightened back underground there will be six more weeks of winter