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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That’s right: Dyson hair dryers and stylers are still marked down to their Black Friday sale prices at Amazon today. Clara McMahon, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024 TikTok Shop raked in $100 million in single-day sales this Black Friday — that’s triple the number from 2023,according to the company. Erika Tulfo, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024 The forecasts come after tumultuous Thanksgiving travel for many people in the Northeast, particularly those on their way home from family gatherings on Black Friday as heavy lake-effect snow hit Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024 On Black Friday, online retail sales grew 14.6%, while in-store sales grew 0.7%, and the Mastercard Economics Institute expects online retail sales to grow 7.1% year over year during the holiday season. Bill Hardekopf, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Black Friday 

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Black Friday was in 1961

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 21 Dec. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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