Memorial Day

noun

1

: May 30 formerly observed as a legal holiday in most states of the U.S. in remembrance of war dead

2

: the last Monday in May observed as a legal holiday in most states of the U.S.

3

: confederate memorial day

Examples of Memorial Day in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The record haul for the Memorial Day holiday was 2013, when all movies totaled $314.2M per Box Office Mojo on a weekend led by Fast & Furious 6 ($117M) and The Hangover Part III ($50.2M). —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2025

In one case, the outlet said, a Volusia County Beach Patrol sergeant hit two teens lying on Daytona Beach during Memorial Day weekend. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025

Jennifer Lopez will host the 2025 American Music Awards airing live on CBS Memorial Day, Monday, May 26 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. —Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 9 Apr. 2025

Jennifer Lopez is set to return to the American Music Awards as both host and performer for this year’s show, which is set to air live from Las Vegas on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Memorial Day

• andromache
• bioassay
• cabriolet
• cercariae
• communique
• companionway
• compositae
• decussate
• examinee
• fabaceae
• glyphosate
• microarray

Kids Definition

Memorial Day

noun

1

: May 30 once observed as a legal holiday in honor of those who died in war

2

: the last Monday in May observed as a legal holiday in most states of the U.S.