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In its earliest appearances in English, in the 16th century, heyday was used as an interjection that expressed elation or wonder (similar to our word hey, from which it derives). Within a few decades, heyday was seeing use as a noun meaning "high spirits." This sense can be seen in Act III, scene 4 of Hamlet, when the Prince of Denmark tells his mother, "You cannot call it love; for at your age / The heyday in the blood is tame…." The word's second syllable is not thought to be borne of the modern word day (or any of its ancestors), but in the 18th century the syllable's resemblance to that word likely influenced the development of the now-familiar use referring to the period when one's achievement or popularity has reached its zenith.
Examples of heyday in a Sentence
Don Tse, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Industrial output now surpasses the heyday of American factories—thanks largely to efficiency gains and technological innovation.
—Nick Mordowanec
mandy Taheri
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
During their heyday in the 1960s, the yakuza operated internationally and had more than 184,000 members, according to the NPA.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 May 2025
Chet Lemon, a product of Los Angeles Fremont High during its heyday who became a three-time All-Star outfielder and a World Series champion during a 16-year major league career, died Thursday at age 70 after a decades-long fight with a blood disorder.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Heyday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heyday. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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